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The wealthy Italian family of a teen who committed suicide after being “forced into solitary confinement” for “cheating on assignment” is suing their son’s elite New York boarding school.
Exchange student Claudio Mandia hanged himself in a room at EF Academy in Thornwood on Feb. 17 — three days after being isolated and just days before his 18th birthday.
His father, Mauro Mandia, and another representative of his estate filed the lawsuit this week in the Westchester County Supreme Court. New York Post.
The lawsuit said Claudio had been expelled from school for cheating on a math assignment and forced by school officials to stay alone in a room.
The nearly 18-year-old struggled with personal issues that had affected his school performance. The charges allege that the school was aware of his emotional state when they relegated him to his room for days.
The elite boarding school has rejected claims filed in the lawsuit, saying they remain “deeply saddened by the tragic death,” but “the story shared in the legal filing is not accurate or based on fact.”
‘It was painful to foresee that forcing’ [Claudio] in solitary confinement, malnourished him and inadequately supervised him after providing the life-changing news that he would be deported — and that while he endured other hardships that the EF Academy knew and was being treated for — could lead to his tragic death, the lawsuit states.
Claudio Mandia (pictured) hanged himself in his EF Academy room on February 17, just three days after being “placed in solitary confinement.” His parents are now suing his New York boarding school
Claudio’s parents Elisabetta and Mauro Mandia (pictured) filed the lawsuit to prevent this from happening to other students
The lawsuit has been filed against EF Academy, four school officials, the parent company and 20 other unnamed defendants who allegedly contributed to Claudio’s “wrongful death.”
Claudio’s family is seeking both punishment for the school and damages as EF Academy, four school officials, the parent company and 20 other unnamed suspects contributed to wrongful death, negligence, false imprisonment and emotional distress, among other charges.
It is not clear how much compensation the family is asking for.
A school spokesperson said NBC News that the lawsuit contained “multiple misstatements” and disputed the claim that Claudio was “placed in solitary confinement.”
“The story shared in the legal filing is not accurate or based on fact,” the statement said.
“We are confident that the legal process will enable us to deliver and prove a fact-based lawsuit telling what really happened.”
Claudio was enrolled at the EF Academy as part of the school’s two-year International Baccalaureate Program, having expressed an interest in studying abroad before returning to Italy for university.
The academy has a tuition fee of $66,500 per year for students who live on campus full-time.
The lawsuit alleges that Claudio had been a shrewd student who excelled in math, including earning a ’10’ in previous years.
In November 2020, another Italian student expelled from the academy also attempted suicide, the indictment said.
Claudio was enrolled at EF Academy as part of the school’s two-year International Baccalaureate Program
The academy has a tuition fee of $66,500 per year for students who live on campus full-time. After expressing their interest, Claudio’s parents Mandia and Elisabette Benesatto agreed to send their son to the institution where one of his sisters is also present.
Claudio was reportedly not allowed to leave the room alone and was served his meals there, although the lawsuit indicated a 24-hour period during which he claimed he was not given any food.
However, the following year, after being forced to stay home when the family contracted COVID-19 in Battipaglia, the teen began “falling behind” in school.
‘This caused [Claudio] falling behind in his academic work, and when? [Claudio] After being quarantined, he did return to campus, he was under a lot of pressure to try and catch up,” the indictment said.
Then, less than two weeks after his delayed return to campus, [Claudio] suffered the unexpected loss of a close family member, which deeply upset him and prompted him to seek help from Chelsea Lovece, the EF Academy’s in-house social worker.”
While seeking mental health support, Claudio was expelled for plagiarism and placed in solitary confinement on Feb. 14 until his parents could pick him up, the lawsuit alleges.
Claudio was not allowed to leave the room alone and was served his meals there, although the lawsuit indicated a 24-hour period during which the family claimed he was denied food.
On Feb. 16, the night before his parents were due to pick him up, several of his friends were able to visit him in the room, the suit claims.
The soon-to-be 18-year-old is believed to have been dealing with mental health issues after losing a family member and falling behind in class
Elisabette and Mandia had to pick up their son when he was found dead in his room three days after being placed in solitary confinement
The lawsuit alleges that Claudio had been a shrewd student who excelled in math, earning an ‘A’ in previous years
They were accompanied by two administrators. The students saw on his neck what the lawsuit calls ligature marks that indicate a suicide attempt. They asked him about the tracks and he claimed he had fallen in the shower.
‘[Claudio] screamed and cried for help as they were held in solitary confinement. EF Academy and the individual defendants ignored him heartlessly,” the indictment said.
The next morning, Claudio’s younger sister, who was also at the school, reportedly begged Lovece to check on her brother.
Lovece told the girl that she had knocked on his door earlier that morning and that she thought he was asleep when he didn’t answer.
When she checked him again later that morning, he was found dead.
“EF Academy’s implementation of its solitary confinement protocol, combined with its grossly negligent – and even blatantly abusive – treatment of [Claudio] known risk factors, was truly outrageous and justifies the imposition of punitive damages to ensure that such behavior never happens again.”