Fatal school bathroom attack case moved to federal court

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Attorneys for a Delaware school district say a lawsuit stemming from a school bathroom attack that left a 16-year-old girl dead belongs in federal court.

Attorneys for the New Castle County Vocational School District filed papers Friday to move the lawsuit from Superior Court to federal court because the complaint includes allegations of civil rights violations.

Amy Joyner-Francis, who had a rare, undetected, heart condition, died of sudden cardiac death, aggravated by physical and emotional stress from the 2016 fight at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington.

MORE: Girls sentenced in school bathroom attack that led to death

Her family filed a lawsuit last week against the school district and two teenage girls who were convicted of conspiracy in the case.

Delaware's Supreme Court has upheld the conspiracy convictions but tossed a conviction for criminally negligent homicide against Joyner-Francis' assailant.