Lawrence King's Parents Score Legal Victory

By Neal Broverman

A judge ruled this week that the parents and brother of Lawrence King -- the gay 15-year-old California boy who was slain by a classmate in February 2008 -- can sue the foster home where he lived at the time of his death.

Greg and Dawn King will be able to bring a lawsuit against Casa Pacifica, a Camarillo, Calif., shelter for troubled children, for allegedly contributing to the death of their son.

The Kings believe Casa Pacifica employees placed Lawrence in danger by encouraging him to express his sexuality. King occasionally wore high heels and makeup to school, and he was the subject of bullying by his fellow students at Oxnard, Calif.'s E.O. Green Middle School.

One of those students -- now-15-year-old Brandon McInerney -- shot King twice in the head and killed him last year. McInerney now faces first-degree murder and hate crimes charges and will most likely be tried as an adult. No trial date has yet been set.

The staff of Casa Pacifica say they are not to blame for King's death -- that they could not stop Lawrence from dressing as he pleased but did coach him in protective behaviors.

"He told us he felt safe and protected at Casa Pacifica. He told one of his former teachers the time he spent with us was the happiest of his life," Stacy Roscoe, chairman of the nonprofit organization's board of directors, said to the Ventura County Star on Tuesday .

Among those specifically named in the Kings' wide-ranging lawsuit are Casa Pacifica chief executive officer Steven Elson and Vicki Boss-Edwards, a psychologist who counseled King at Casa Pacifica, as well as McInerney.

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Name: Thomas
Date posted: 5/15/2009 3:08:00 PM
Hometown: San Luis Obispo, CA

Comment:
This decision advises people to live falsely and in fear. It siphons blame away from murderers and onto their victims.
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Name: Andrew
Date posted: 5/15/2009 11:58:00 AM
Hometown: Albuquerque

Comment:
This article makes me feel sad.
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Name: Courtney
Date posted: 5/15/2009 9:04:00 AM
Hometown: AR

Comment:
Disgusting. If they had taken care of their son in the first place, he wouldn't have been in the home. Horrible.
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Name: Adrian
Date posted: 5/15/2009 3:24:00 AM
Hometown: Northridge, CA

Comment:
Suing people who were gaving care for their son??? What kind of human being they are? Nothing's wrong teaching children to be truthful about themselves. Shame on them.
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Name: Josh
Date posted: 5/15/2009 2:37:00 AM
Hometown: Rogers, CT

Comment:
I understand the parents need someone to blame, but I can only hope that this blame is based in some fact - though I doubt it! - and that the judge knew something not explained here. Allowing this suit is actually NOT going to help gay rights, or LGBT activism in any way. If the counsellor's only crime was that s/he endoursed the lad's behaviour, that is not a crime at all and should not be punished. She could not know that someone out there, somewhere, was going to take this boy's deseire to be feminine so personally and as such an affront to hismelf that he would kill the lad. The ONLY people to blame in this matter would be the parents of the murderer, the murderer himself and the people in this world that tell their children that it's okay to hate.
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Name: Tari Akpodiete
Date posted: 5/14/2009 9:50:00 PM
Hometown: Toronto

Comment:
this is a very bad decision. these homophobic relatives had such a problem with this child that he was put out of their home, but now they want to make money from his death? that's beyond disgusting.
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Name: Larry
Date posted: 5/14/2009 9:43:00 PM
Hometown: tampa

Comment:
Why should they be allowed anything? If they loved and cared for him properly, he would not have been in a foster home in the first place.
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Name: Ben
Date posted: 5/14/2009 7:16:00 PM
Hometown: NY

Comment:
If only they had pretended to love their son while he was still alive...and for free.
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Name: Laurent
Date posted: 5/14/2009 7:10:00 PM
Hometown: Ottawa, Canada

Comment:
Wait a minute, they get to sue the foster home because they didn`t properly protect their son. Why was he there in the first place if they are such concerned parents and sibling. He was there to protect him from his own family first and foremost. I am shocked that a judge would give these people the right to anything having to do with their son, he was a ward of the court not his biological parents. No wonder the courts are overwhelmed when such baseless suits are allowed to go forward.

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