Florida university track athlete's family sues school after she commits suicide

A Florida university track athlete's family are suing her school after she committed suicide, claiming her cruel coach subjected her to a two year bullying campaign. 

Julia Pernsteiner, 23, who had a learning disability, was cruelly mocked by former Jacksonville University track and field coach Ron Grigg before he cut her from the team without notice, according to a lawsuit. 

Her parents allege that the university subsequently ignored her pleas for help after her removal from the team in September 2021, leading to her suicide two months later. 

The athlete ran track as an outlet to help her deal with her academic studies, which she struggled with as her disability affected her reading, writing and arithmetic skills. 

But Grigg was said to take a 'special satisfaction' in humiliating her, often fat shaming her while referring to her as 'retarded'. 

Julia Pernsteiner, 23, was found dead in her dorm room from an apparent suicide on November 8, 2021

The 23-year-old was cruelly mocked by former Jacksonville University track and field coach Ron Grigg before he cut her from the team without notice

Teammates have recalled that coach Ron Grigg, pictured, took 'special satisfaction' in bullying Pernsteiner, who suffered from a learning disability

In shocking court filings, teammates have recalled the abuse that Grigg subjected the 23-year-old to after she joined the university track team. 

Julia endured brutal bullying at the hands of Grigg for nearly two years, including ridiculing her to her face and behind her back, in texts and emails, per the lawsuit.  

'Ron Grigg (took) special satisfaction in humiliating Julia, referring to her as 'retarded', 'the slowest f****** runner on the team,' and 'unable to wipe your own a**', the lawsuit says. 

Remaining on the team as an outlet to help her handle her academic studies, Pernsteiner attempted to seek help from her teammates, who also alleged similar abuse from Grigg while he oversaw the team. 

They revealed in the court filings that he was persistently 'oppressive, threatening, bullying, condescending and demeaning to many of the young women on the team.' 

But after Pernsteiner contacted former athletes at the school to share their accounts of Griggs behavior with school officials, the university subsequently said it could not substantiate the allegations when it opened an investigation.   

Despite being employed at the university since 1998, numerous members of the track and field team have since painted a disturbing picture of his conduct, where he routinely belittled those he was tasked with helping. 

'Despite knowledge of Grigg’s outrageous and illegal behavior toward women on his teams, (Jacksonville University) acquiesced and condoned that conduct as long as Grigg was coaching winning teams,' the lawsuit further claims.

Following two years of Grigg's harrowing bullying, Pernsteiner was thrown off the team in September 2021, without being given a reason why. 

Pernsteiner was said to rely on her place on the team to deal with her academic studies

 The athlete suffered from a learning disability that affected her ability to read, write and spell

The 23-year-old athlete 'spiraled into desperation and depression' after the university ignored her pleas for help

Pernsteiner contacted other former members of her track team to bring allegations about Grigg's behavior to university officials, with numerous others reporting he had bullied women on the team

In a plea for help, she sent an email to the university's athletic director in October 2021, begging to be allowed back onto the team as she relied on her athletic life to cope. 

'I just don’t know where to go from here,' she said in the email, which was included in the lawsuit. 

'I would like to stay and work on improving my grades. I just am not able to do it myself. I’m looking for advice on how to proceed.'

However, the athlete's cries for help were entirely ignored by faculty. After no one responded to her email, Pernsteiner 'spiraled into desperation and depression'. 

On November 8, 2021, the 23-year-old was found dead in her dorm room from an apparent suicide. 

'For 22 months prior to her death Julia suffered pain, mental anguish, panic attacks, fear and depression,' the lawsuit alleged. 

Prior to her tragic death, Pernsteiner had persistently attempted to bring the behavior of Grigg to light, including by contacting local media. 

Local independent journalist Samantha Mathers said she had spoken to Pernsteiner sevral times in late October 2021, just weeks before she took her own life. 

While investigating the claims, Mathers said she was heartbreakingly told the news of the 23-year-old's death when Pernsteiner's mother later reached out. 

'As soon as she said "I'm just trying to get answers about my daughter," and she explained, I knew exactly what she was talking about, and my heart just fell to the ground,' she told FirstCoastNews. 

Pernsteiner was swiftly cut from the team in September 2021 without notice, following years of alleged targeted emotional abuse at the hands of her athletic coach

In a lawsuit brought by the athlete's parents, several other former members of the same track team have recalled similar bullying behavior that she suffered 

Mathers added that she corresponded with a former athletic trainer who knew Grigg, who told her that she had 'witnessed a lot of the things' the female athletes had been saying. 

'The body shaming, the anxiety, the athletes had a lot of anxiety. 

'She said that she witnessed that his female athletes had this anxiety about their weight that no other female athletes had at the school.'

Grigg subsequently resigned his position following the scandal, and the university said it was providing 'additional mandatory training' for its coaches. 

In an emailed statement to Fox News responding to the lawsuit, Jacksonville University said: 'The students, faculty, and staff of Jacksonville University continue to mourn Julia’s tragic death and we sympathize with the Pernsteiner family for their loss. 

'Per University policy, we do not comment on pending litigation.'