The family of Lawrence
King, the gay teenager who was shot dead last February in his
school classroom in Ventura County, Calif., has filed
a wrongful death suit that names some two dozen defendants,
including the school's principal and a local gay rights
organization. King's parents and brother also named the
young man charged with the murder, Brandon McInerney, and his
family in the suit, the Associated Press reports.
According to the suit,
the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, where King participated in
events for LGBT youths, emboldened the boy to make sexual
advances on McInerney, the AP reports. King reportedly told
McInerney he loved him in the days before the killing
occurred.
But the executive
director of the Rainbow Alliance denied the charge. "No
facilitator or mental health therapist would say anything even
remotely like that," Jay Smith told the AP. "This
whole thing is just frivolous."
The suit also accuses
the shelter where King was staying at the time of his death,
Casa Pacifica, for failing to protect him. Other defendants
include King's teacher, various counselors, and a county
social worker. (Advocate.com)
