LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The father of a 17-year-old North Hollywood High School basketball player who committed suicide is suing Los Angeles Unified, alleging the district knew the decedent had tried to take his life once before and had shown signs of wanting to do so again the day of his 2019 death.
Luc Richard Elie, father of the late Xavier Patterson, brought the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, Aug. 23, alleging wrongful death, negligence and negligent supervision, training, hiring and retention.
Also named as defendants are LAUSD psychologist Samuel Mark Schwarzmer, North Hollywood High Principal Ricardo Rosales and Carrie Schwartz, then an assistant principal at the school.
Elie seeks unspecified damages.
An LAUSD representative issued a statement Tuesday regarding the suit.
“We do not comment on pending litigation,” the statement read.
“However, the safety and well-being of our students remains our top priority.”
Patterson transferred to North Hollywood High in the fall of 2017 and suffered at the time from emotional issues, including impulsive behavior, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, all of which made it difficult for him to be successful in school, according to the suit.
Patterson became suicidal in April 2018 and went to a freeway, where an attempt to take his own life was thwarted by Los Angeles Police Department officers, the suit states.
Patterson was placed in the custody of his father and stepmother and agreed to undergo a psychiatric evaluation in which he was hospitalized for days, the suit states.
Elie provided the LAUSD with information about his son’s mental health caregivers, but the district never requested any of the teen’s mental health records or interacted with the student’s private mental health team, the suit states.
Patterson finished the remaining semester, enrolled in summer school and then began the new school year in the fall of 2018, the suit states. He was supposed to undergo 90 minutes of counseling each month with Schwarzmer, but an unsupervised intern often did the assessment, according to the suit.
On Feb. 7, 2019, Patterson became agitated in his Spanish class and the teacher asked him to call his father at the end of class so the three could discuss his behavior, the suit states.
Rosales asked Patterson if he wanted a pass because he was going to be late to his next class, but the teen left his cellphone with the principal and walked away, the suit states.
Schwarzmer claims he at one point called the school police and told them he was concerned Patterson may be going to the freeway, the suit states.
Neither the LAUSD crisis team nor the suicide/threat risk assessment team were activated, the suit states. Patterson returned during sixth period and Schwarzmer spoke with him for about 20 minutes, but he did not assess his risk and neither he nor Schwartz called 911, the suit states.
Schwarzmer called Elie and Patterson’s stepmother, but did not give sufficient details of what had happened with the teen, the suit alleges. LAUSD police who followed Patterson home never interacted with him, according to the suit.
Patterson placed a sentimental hat on the ground outside of his apartment and then left, according to the suit, which does not give details on how he took his life.