Breaking: Judge dismisses Walgren lawsuit against District 203

Thursday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of Naperville North High School student Corey Walgren against Naperville School District 203, the City of Naperville, two NNHS deans and the former NNHS school resource officer.

According to an online court database, the lawsuit claimed the questioning of Corey Walgren in January 2017 created enough emotional distress to cause the student to take his own life. However, in her ruling, Judge Andrea Wood said that the questioning constituted “ordinary police interrogation tactics.”

“The Court’s common-sense conclusion here is that while the Individual Defendants’ conduct was problematic and had tragic consequences, the amended complaint alleges no conditions of confinement that exceeded the bounds of an ordinary interrogation,” Wood wrote.

The judge also noted the plaintiffs had provided no indication that any defendant in the case had reason to believe Corey Walgren was contemplating suicide.

The now-dismissed lawsuit named the school district, the city, Dean Stephen Madden, Dean James Konrad and then-School Resource Officer Brett Heun. In an email to The North Star on Friday afternoon, Naperville District 203 released a statement concerning the ruling.

“The staff and community of Naperville 203 remain saddened by the death of our student and extend heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by this tragedy.  On January 17, 2019, the Court issued a ruling dismissing all counts of the complaint. At Naperville 203, the student-staff relationships are of paramount importance and we remain confident in our staff who serve with our students’ best interest at heart,” the email stated.

The ruling allows the Walgren family to “file a second amended complaint that remedies the pleading deficiencies discussed herein.” Attempts to reach lawyers on both sides of the case were unsuccessful Friday.