Story highlights
Joseph and Jane Clementi had filed court documents reserving the right to sue
Dharun Ravi has been convicted of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and witness tampering
Attorney: The family wants "to use the publicity for positive purposes"
The family of a Rutgers University freshman who committed suicide after his roommate secretly used a webcam to stream his sexual encounter has decided not to sue the university or the man who set up the camera.
Joseph and Jane Clementi had filed court documents reserving the right to sue after their son leaped from the George Washington Bridge in September 2010.
Clementi’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, has since been convicted of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and witness tampering.
The family’s attorney said Friday that the Clementis decided to drop consideration of a lawsuit to instead focus on their work with The Tyler Clementi Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to working with and supporting gay and lesbian youths.
“The family got to a place where they really felt an obligation and desire to use the publicity for positive purposes,” said attorney Paul Mainardi. “The idea of going after money, at this point, seemed small and unimportant.”
Ravi was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail and three years of probation, and to complete 300 hours of community service.
He was released on June 19 after serving 20 days behind bars.
