Democracy Dies in Darkness

Judge signals Landon lawsuit over teen’s suicide likely to move forward

The parents of a Maryland teenager who took his life said the prep school he attended was negligent in his death.

By
May 24, 2024 at 7:38 p.m. EDT
Family photos showing Dawn and Scott Schnell’s late son Charlie. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
5 min

A Maryland judge indicated Friday he would likely allow a wrongful-death lawsuit against a Bethesda prep school to move forward, signaling a potential legal win for the parents of a teen seeking to hold the Landon School liable for their son’s suicide.

Montgomery County Circuit Judge Louis M. Leibowitz did not specifically issue a ruling. But after hearing three hours of arguments around Landon’s effort to dismiss the suit, he said he was inclined to keep at least some of the claims — namely those tied to negligence.