ATLANTA – The parents of a teenager who hanged himself at a juvenile detention center in Atlanta have filed a lawsuit claiming their son's constitutional rights were violated.
Denise Butler and Jimmy Davidson filed the federal lawsuit Dec. 7. They are suing Avery Niles, the commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice, and 16 other department employees.
They say their 14-year-old son suffered "physical, mental, and emotional injuries, and ultimately death."
They say their son, identified in the suit only as J.D., hanged himself in his cell April 5 and had previously tried to kill himself at least four times.
Nicholas Genesi, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office, had no comment on the allegations against the state employees.
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