PITTSBURGH — On Jan. 7, a woman being sued in the wake of a 23-year-old’s death filed a subpoena to produce documents and other information from his time in high school in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.
Jessica Lentz filed the notice of intent to serve a subpoena against Steel Valley Senior High School, hoping the court will compel it to produce documents for discovery. The school had 20 days to object, and if it doesn’t, it can expect for the subpoena to be served. Lentz then filed the actual subpoena with documents she requested during discovery.
Those documents included all records from Codi Joyce, the late student, including his course of study, his graduation records, report cards, transcripts, standardized tests grades and his disciplinary action records such as detentions, suspensions, and expulsions.
Lentz also asked for records related to extracurricular activities, any records from his teachers and the school’s administrators, and any documents from the school nurse.
The subpoena comes during the family of Joyce’s lawsuit against Lentz and her father, Daniel Lentz, who allegedly gave Jessica permission to host parties at their home. The home was recognized as a place where “younger individuals” drank alcohol, the lawsuit says.
Joyce attended one of these parties and got into a disagreement with another partygoer about a Hot Pocket, the lawsuit claims.
Other attendees allegedly jumped in and a fight broke out, during which Joyce was choked, the suit claims. He later died in the hospital. His cause of death was later determined as a result of multi-system trauma to the head, abdomen, spine, and other parts of his body.
Things got worse when those who allegedly attacked Joyce didn’t call the police, the suit says. But one went as far as texting a woman, saying they killed Joyce, the suit says.
Joyce’s family is now suing for $7 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.