Terry J. Bunn Jr. and the estate of Megan Rondini recently agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
It’s been five years since Megan Rondini, a student at the University of Alabama, committed suicide after claiming she was raped by Terry J. Bunn Jr. Soon after, her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bunn Jr. However, earlier this month the suit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge David Proctor without prejudice, “citing a settlement that had been reached between him and Rondini’s estate.”
In a statement announcing the dismissal of the lawsuit, Proctor said:
“The court, having been informed that a settlement has been reached, dismisses this case without prejudice…The court shall retain jurisdiction over this matter for the sole purpose of enforcing the settlement reached by the parties.”
What happened, though? Well, it all began in July 2015 when Rondini met Bunn “at the Innisfree Irish Pub in Tuscaloosa.” According to court documents, “the two later left the bar and went to his home in Cottondale, where they had sex.” However, attorneys representing Rondini’s estate argued she “may have been intoxicated or drugged at the bar and that she did not want to have sex, but that Bunn allegedly forced himself on her.”
At the time of the incident, Rondini was 20-years-old. After the encounter with Bunn, she “may have been intoxicated or drugged at the bar and that she did not want to have sex, but that Bunn allegedly forced himself on her.” An investigation was conducted to look into the matter, by charges were never filed against Bunn.
Eventually, Rondini moved back to her home in Texas, and on February 26, 2016, she committed suicide.
The complaint filed by her family stated:
“When Megan formally withdrew from UA and moved back to Texas, she sought medical, psychological, and psychiatric help…She had ever-increasing fears, anxiety, sleeplessness, panic attacks, weight loss, feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, loss of motivation, and decline of cognitive and overall functioning. Megan continued treatment for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Megan believed that her injuries were permanent and that she could never recover, even with treatment.”
The family’s wrongful death lawsuit against Bunn was filed in July 2017. It also named the University of Alabama and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office as defendants. However, both of those entities were late dismissed from the case, leaving only Bunn.
Details of the settlement agreement are not yet known. The case was scheduled to go before a federal jury just days before the two parties agreed to the settlement “in court-ordered mediation,” according to court documents.
Sources:
Wrongful death lawsuit settled in former University of Alabama student Megan Rondini case
T.J. Bunn Jr. settles Megan Rondini lawsuit days before trial set to begin
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