A devastating case of bullying in South Carolina has led to a lawsuit against a Greenville middle school, its district, and nine faculty members after a 12-year-old girl attempted suicide and was later mocked by her bullies while in intensive care.
The victim, Kelaia Turner, now 14, endured over a year of relentless bullying at Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School, her family alleges. According to the lawsuit, the abuse ranged from verbal slurs to physical attacks, ultimately driving Kelaia to hang herself in March 2023. She was clinically dead for eight minutes before being revived by paramedics, leaving her with severe brain damage.
While Kelaia remained in a coma, one of the bullies reportedly infiltrated the ICU, took photos of her intubated body, and shared them on social media alongside cruel rumors about her condition.
The lawsuit claims the bullying began in 2021 after Kelaia started wearing her natural hair to school. She was frequently taunted with insults like “roach” and told she looked “like a man.” Shockingly, a teacher, Olivia Bennett, allegedly encouraged the bullying, even participating in the mockery when students referred to Kelaia as “roach.”
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Incidents of bullying escalated over time. In one instance, the bullies played a racist YouTube video, “The Black People Song,” in class while teacher John Teer reportedly allowed it without intervention. On another occasion, Kelaia’s clothes were soaked in water and thrown in the trash.
The family contends that the school district failed to protect Kelaia, despite repeated reports from her parents. Instead, the administration allegedly ignored or mishandled the complaints, suspending Kelaia after a fight with one of the bullies but taking no disciplinary action against her aggressor.
On March 17, 2023, Kelaia attempted to hang herself with a belt in her bedroom. Her mother, Ty Turner, discovered her daughter unresponsive, recalling, “She was cool to the touch, blood was coming out of her nose.” Despite being resuscitated, Kelaia suffered irreversible brain damage and now has no control over her body.
“She fully committed to what she was attempting to do,” Ty Turner said, describing the traumatic moment.
The lawsuit, filed in November 2024, accuses the school district and faculty of negligence for failing to address the bullying. The family seeks damages to cover Kelaia’s extensive medical expenses, psychiatric care, special education, and life care costs, as well as compensation for the parents’ lost wages and Kelaia’s diminished quality of life.
Ty Turner expressed her heartbreak over the lack of accountability, saying, “They used to teach us, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.’ Unfortunately, words do hurt.”
The family hopes the lawsuit will bring attention to systemic failures in addressing bullying and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
