GILROY—The parents of Audrie Pott, a 15-year-old Saratoga girl who took her own life in 2012 after three teen boys sexually assaulted and humiliated her reached a settlement Friday in a wrongful death suit against the defendants’ families.
Under terms of the agreement reached in Santa Clara County Superior Court, the defendants, including a Christopher High School senior, must apologize publicly both in court to the family and in published statements.
The pair, now 18, also must give public presentations for the Audrie Pott Foundation, a nonprofit created by the victim’s parents, on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, so-called ‘slut shaming,’ rumor mongering and sharing of nude photos.
The defendants, who pleaded guilty in 2014, will not be identified publicly, under the agreement, released Friday agreement and one reached last week with the third male. Terms of that agreement were not made public.
The defendants and victim were Saratoga High School students when the September 2012 incident occurred while the victim was unconscious at a party. Pott committed suicide just days after the party in September 2012.
The boys, 15 and 16 at the time, admitted in juvenile court last year to sexually assaulting Audrie and sharing explicit photographs of the incident on social media. They served sentences of between 30 and 45 days in jail, some on weekends, and have all since turned 18.
One defendant transferred to Christopher High School in Gilroy after the incident.
As part of the settlements, the identities of the guilty teens will be kept confidential; two were referred to as “John R.” and “John B.” in the Friday settlement agreement.
The Pott family argued that the shame their daughter felt as a result of the photos being shared, the nature of the sex acts themselves (digital penetration) and rumors spread about her led to her suicide. She died in hospital after her mother discovered her hanging in a bathroom.
In her final Facebook post, Audrie Pott wrote, “My life is over.”
According to the settlement terms, the two defendants must also support a petition to Saratoga High School administrators, encouraging them to give Audrie Pott an honorary diploma and admit that their actions “contributed to preventing her from graduating.”
“Audrie wasn’t conscious during the criminal acts that we committed and did not consent to what we did,” reads part of the apology both teens must publish.
“Audrie did not deserve nor would any human being deserve what we put Audrie through.”
At least some of the 10 presentations the pair must give are to take place at a high school or schools selected by the Audrie Pott Foundation, but cannot be at Christopher or Saratoga high schools, according to the court document.
In exchange, the foundation agreed not to film or record the presentations or to reveal the now young men’s identities in exchange for written confirmation the presentations occurred within two years.
The Pott’s attorney, Bob Allard, did not immediately return a call requesting comment for this story.
