LOS ANGELES — Melanie Ramos was missing for eight hours before she was found dead of suspected fentanyl poisoning in a Hollywood school bathroom this year, the 15-year-old's mother and her lawyers said Wednesday in announcing a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The wrongful death and negligence lawsuit filed on behalf of Elena Perez, Melanie's mother, alleges school officials knew illicit narcotics were prevalent at Helen Bernstein High but took no action.
"Kids would be buying and selling and using drugs in the bathroom at Bernstein, and administrators on campus did nothing about it," attorney Michael Carrillo said. "They knew because there were six prior calls to Bernstein High School for potential drug overdoses in 2022 alone. Six prior. How do you not make any changes to protect kids?"
