Roy’s mom seeks millions as case turns to civil trial
Michelle Carter, the 20-yearold convicted of causing her high school boyfriend’s suicide, now faces a multimilliondollar lawsuit brought by the young man’s grieving mother. Lynn Roy, who represents the estate of her son, Conrad Roy III, is seeking $4.2 million from Carter in a wrongful death suit that was filed last month. Carter, who is free pending the appeal of her involuntary manslaughter conviction, is accused of negligently causing Roy’s death on the night of July 13, 2014. “The family is not trying to be vindictive. They are trying to find a way to memorialize Conrad so that he will be remembered for years to come,” said Eric Goldman, an attorney representing Lynn Roy. “They want to set up a fund or scholarship in his name.” Carter was convicted in June of causing Roy’s death by convincing him to commit suicide through texts and phone calls. The troubled teen eventually acquiesced to the virtual pressure and killed himself in a Fairhaven parking lot by filling his truck with deadly carbon monoxide fumes.
Lynn Roy’s lawsuit claims that Carter failed “to act when she knew, or should have known, that her conduct had caused, or contributed to cause, a situation that posed a significant risk of death to the decedent.”
Joseph Cataldo, Carter’s lead defense attorney, said no one has officially filed an appearance on his client’s behalf in the civil case. He added that he has seen the case and that he “is surprised that they went forward that way.”
“Obviously it’s going to stir up a hornet’s nets and force the issues to be re-litigated,” he said. “It’s also going to require looking at who else could have been involved with his suicide. So I was a little surprised by that.”
Goldman said it is too early to look into what assets Carter has, but he did say he is interested in deposing her. In civil disputes, lawyers use depositions to ask witnesses questions about a case and then preserve their testimony for trial.
Carter is also not allowed to make any money off of the story that made her infamous, according to an order from Judge Lawrence Moniz. During her criminal case, Carter did not take the stand in her own defense and did not speak during sentencing Thursday. Cataldo declined to comment as to the prospects of his client being deposed for the wrongful death suit.
Carter was sentenced to 2 years behind bars — with only 15 months to actually serve — plus probation until 2022. Moniz stayed the sentence pending an appeal of her conviction.