SOUTH HADLEY, Mass., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The family of a Massachusetts teen who killed herself allegedly because she was bullied in school got $225,000 from the town, the settlement document indicated.
The document, disclosed Tuesday, indicated the South Hadley family of Phoebe Prince received the settlement in exchange for agreeing not to sue the girl's school district, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.
Prince, a 15-year-old transfer student from Ireland, hanged herself in her home in January 2010, prompting a nationwide outcry over bullying in schools.
The disclosure was made after a Hampshire Superior Court judge ruled in favor of a reporter who sued to have the records released. Town officials unsuccessfully argued the request violated a confidentiality agreement with Prince's family, who accused the school district of ignoring the teenager's suffering.
Prince's mother, Anne O'Brien, settled with South Hadley in October 2010 to avoid a trial, the Globe said. Her brother, Edward O'Brian, said she thought a trial would be painful for the family.
"My sister settled because she wanted this to stop," O'Brien told the Globe in a telephone interview. "She needed to find some peace."
