Parents sue municipality after daughter’s suicide following years of bullying

The parents of a 12-year-old Norwegian girl who took her own life in 2023 are suing Sola municipality, alleging that years of severe bullying at Dysjaland School went unaddressed despite repeated warnings, Dagbladet reports.

Monica and Bengt Frantzen claim their daughter Emely was “failed” by the school, which dismissed their concerns and failed to implement effective anti-bullying measures. Their lawsuit argues that the municipality’s negligence directly contributed to Emely’s death.

“Dysjaland School failed Emely,” the family’s lawyer, Svein Kjetil Svendsen of Elden Law Firm, stated during closing arguments in Sør-Rogaland District Court. He accused the school of ignoring clear signs of bullying, despite creating 12 formal activity plans—legally required under Norway’s Education Act when bullying is reported—to ensure Emely’s safety.

Testimony from school staff revealed conflicting accounts: some claimed they saw no evidence of bullying, while others admitted they were “deeply concerned” about Emely’s deteriorating mental state in her final months. The parents had reported the bullying years earlier, and Emely had attempted suicide in 2022 before changing schools in May of that year. She died by suicide in January 2023.

The family’s legal case hinges on three key failures by the municipality: inadequate investigations into the bullying, insufficient or poorly evaluated interventions, and a refusal to believe Emely’s accounts—effectively allowing the bullying to continue unchecked. Svendsen argued that the school’s response was “negligent,” particularly in its handling of Emely’s diagnosed “impressive language disorder,” a condition he said the school misunderstood, wrongly placing the burden on Emely to change her behavior rather than addressing the bullying itself.

Medical records from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit (BUP) later linked Emely’s PTSD and moderate depression directly to the bullying, Svendsen noted. While the family has requested compensation for funeral costs and non-economic damages, their primary goal is systemic change. “Whether the compensation is zero or 100,000 kroner doesn’t matter,” Svendsen said. “The parents want the municipality to learn from this.”

Sola municipality, represented by lawyer Frode Lauareid, denied liability, arguing there was “no causal link” between Emely’s death and the school’s anti-bullying efforts. Lauareid cited a prior exoneration of the school by the County Governor and a police decision not to prosecute, claiming the municipality had fulfilled its duties. He also emphasized that BUP—a state-run health service—operates independently of the school system.

The court’s ruling is pending. Emely’s parents have said they hope the case will prompt policymakers to reform Norway’s anti-bullying protocols to prevent similar tragedies.

Tags: norway, bullying, education