Mom of Las Vegas teen fatally beaten outside high school files lawsuit
The mother of a student who was fatally beaten outside of Rancho High School filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District on Wednesday.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, was beaten by a group of teens outside of the school, near East Owens Avenue and North Bruce Street, in November 2023. He died six days later in the hospital. The fatal beating was captured on video and showed the teens stomping, kicking and punching Lewis until he fell unconscious.
Nine students were arrested after Lewis was attacked. Four of the teenagers were initially charged as adults, but their cases were transferred to juvenile court as part of a deal. They were sentenced to a correctional facility in September.
Wednesday’s lawsuit was filed in District Court by Lewis’ mother, Mellisa Ready. It accuses the school district and Sandra Corona, who, according to the lawsuit, owns the property where the beating occurred, of wrongful death and negligence.
The school district did not respond to request to comment on Wednesday night. Efforts to reach Corona were unsuccessful.
‘Failed to take reasonable steps’
The attack happened immediately after class let out and on an area “adjacent to and partially on” Corona’s property in the 1300 block of North 21st Street, the lawsuit said.
It alleged that the location was a “known gathering spot” for students and that there had been prior fights and criminal activity in the vicinity.
“Despite this knowledge, CCSD failed to take reasonable steps to supervise students in or near the area, implement preventive measures, or notify law enforcement,” the complaint alleged.
The lawsuit also alleged Corona should have known that “her property and the alley adjacent to it were frequently used by students and others for congregation, including criminal or violent activity.”
“Despite such knowledge, she failed to secure the premises, restrict access, or take any action to prevent foreseeable harm to minors entering or traversing her property,” the lawsuit alleged.
The lawsuit also said the perpetrators “were known to the school administration and had exhibited prior aggressive or violent behavior.”
It said that there had been at least one altercation or conflict involving Lewis or his peers prior and school staff “were on notice or should have been on notice of escalating tensions.”
The school district “owed a duty to supervise students, investigate and respond to threats of violence, and prevent reasonably foreseeable harm to students under its care — even in areas adjacent to campus grounds during or immediately after school hours,” the lawsuit contended.
Teens sentenced
Ready has previously spoken out against the plea deal that allowed the perpetrators of the attack to admit to guilt in juvenile court.
Treavion Randolph, 17, Dontral Beaver, 17, Damien Hernandez, 18, and Gianni Robinson, 17, were previously facing second-degree murder and conspiracy charges in adult court. Their cases were transferred to juvenile court as part of a deal in August in which they admitted to manslaughter.
During a brief hearing in September, Family Court Judge Linda Marquis ordered Randolph, Beaver and Hernandez to spend an undetermined length of incarceration in a juvenile detention center. Children adjudicated guilty in the juvenile court system are not sentenced to serve a set amount of time, but they are expected to be released after completing rehabilitation programs while in custody.
Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.
