CHANDLER, Ariz. — The father of a teen who was attacked on video at a Gilbert In-N-Out parking lot in August 2023 has filed a civil suit against several teens and their parents for what he believes is their role in ongoing group teen violence in the East Valley.
Richard Kuehner filed the lawsuit Thursday on behalf of his son where he details ongoing harassment surrounding the attack and claims parents failed to intervene when assaults and drug use came to light.
In it, he names nearly 50 people, though it's not clear if all of them are directly connected to the In-N-Out assault
"Local media have reported for more than a year before the filing of this complaint a group of affluent teenagers living in Gilbert, Arizona agreed to conspire and commit assault and battery on innocent and unsuspecting teenagers," the lawsuit reads.
Kuehner goes on to allege the group conspired to take videos of the attacks and post them on social media.
Kuehner said in July 2023, his son entered his junior year at Perry High School in Chandler. He was an accomplished student and swimmer, the lawsuit says, and then he received a threat saying he would be attacked. A month later, Kuehner said his son was attacked outside the In-N-Out, adding that it was six against one.
In the lawsuit, Kuehner said when he told school staff, attempts to intimidate his son intensified.
"Neither the Gilbert Police Department nor the Chandler Unified School district was willing to intervene to protect [the victim]," he says in the lawsuit.
His son was ultimately removed from school and sent to live in a different country.
Kuehner said the victim continues to suffer emotional harm from the attack and harassment.
The lawsuit says before and after the attack "the Gilbert Goons continued to terrorize their victims" by contacting the victims' families, knocking on their doors and driving by their homes.
Kuehner said at one point, his son was threatened with death if he reported the attacks and would receive images of guns.
He also alleges parents of the teens involved ignored assault, battery, drug abuse and illegal behaviors of their kids.
Kuehner is seeking general and special damages but didn’t name a specific amount.
East Valley Teen Violence