It made the denial after being notified by the parents of freshmen Tyler Clementi they may seek damages from the university for their son's suicide, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported.
"We at the university share the family's sense of loss of their son, who was a member of our community," the university said in a statement.
Rutgers Denies Fault Clementi Suicide
"We also recognize that a grieving family may question whether someone or some institution could somehow have responsibility for their son's death," the statement continued. "While the university understands this reaction, (Rutgers) is not responsible for Tyler Clementi's suicide."
The claim notice, sent to the university Friday and first reported by The Star-Ledger, preserves the family's right to sue Rutgers for failing to act against two students who allegedly used a Web cam to secretly view Clementi kissing the man.
Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, and Rutgers student Molly Wei allegedly spied on Clementi with a Web cam Sept. 19, and Ravi then sent a message on the Twitter microblogging service that he had seen Clementi "making out with a dude."
Clementi later jumped off the George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York City.
Ravi and Wei, both 18, were charged with invasion of privacy. They later left the university.
Rutgers Denies Fault Clementi Suicide
Comments