BAYVILLE, NJ – Two Greek-Americans, officials at the school and in the school district in New Jersey, are included in the lawsuits filed by the family of a 14-year-old student, who ended her life a year ago, unable to withstand the psychological effects of an unprecedented bullying incident which took place within the school complex.

In particular, as reported by the Daily Mail, the father and stepmother of 14-year-old Adriana Kuch are suing, among others, Greek-American principal of Central Regional High School in New Jersey Irene Marousis, based in Bayville, NJ, as well as other named and unnamed school officials.

The accusation is that they did nothing to protect the 14-year-old from the merciless bullying which they allegedly knew about, but did not perform their duties sufficiently, leaving the perpetrators in a state of impunity. At the same time, the family has also filed a separate complaint against Greek-American former Central Regional School District Superintendent Dr. Triantafillos Parlapanides, whom they charge with “harsh, malicious and false statements” regarding the 14-year-old and the family problems she was facing, which he revealed to the media just a few days after her death.

As previously reported by The National Herald, the young student was mercilessly beaten by two of her classmates in the school hallway, she was hit on the head with a bottle and then beaten all over her body, resulting in serious bruises. In addition to the bruises, the victim also had to deal with online harassment, as the incident was filmed by two other girls, who posted it on social media, presenting in a sarcastic tone the horrific image of the beating. Adriana Kuch ended her life a few days after the incident, on February 1, 2023, when she hanged herself in her room where her father and stepmother found her lifeless body.

In the first lawsuit, it should be noted that principal Irene Marousis, assistant principals Darryl Heale and Angelo Mazzuca, anti-bullying coordinator Thomas Gallahue, anti-bullying specialist Jennifer Mullins and other unnamed school officials, “allowed the culture and climate of harassment, intimidation, and bullying” at the high school, while also noting that, “although they knew that the attacks were being recorded and posted on social media,” they did nothing to stop it, the Daily Mail reported.

Dr. Parlapanidis had justified the school’s decision not to request the criminal prosecution of the four students so that they would not suffer “double punishment,” given that they were already burdened with charges from the Ocean County prosecutor’s office.

However, the Greek-American former superintendent further upset the family when, according to the Daily Mail, he referred to family problems and sensitive personal data of the 14-year-old, claiming that she had been affected by the suicide of her mother due to an affair Adriana’s father had with another woman. He also mentioned alleged drug use by the teen in his email exchange with the Daily Mail last year.

“The suit alleges negligence, invasion of privacy for disclosing the teen’s drug use and need for mental health counseling, and defamation,” the Daily Mail reported.

“Four juveniles faced criminal charges in connection with the attack,” CNN reported, adding that, “one was charged with aggravated assault, two faced charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and the fourth was charged with harassment.”

An update on those criminal cases was not available at press time.