Family of Collen Ritzer and DiNisco Design reach agreement

Teddy Tauscher, Gloucester Daily Times, Mass.
·2 min read

Aug. 28—The family of Colleen Ritzer and DiNisco Design reached an agreement on a civil suit brought against DiNisco by the Ritzers.

The lawsuit followed the rape and murder of Colleen Ritzer, who was killed by one of her students in 2013. The architectural firm designed the wing of the school where Ritzer was killed.

"This litigation was never about assessing blame on any civil defendant," said the Ritzer family and DiNisco in a joint statement released to the media Friday afternoon. "The only person to blame for the murder of Colleen is serving a life sentence in prison."

In 2016 the Ritzer family filed a wrongful death suit against the town of Danvers, a cleaning company contracted by the school, and DiNisco.

Danvers and the cleaning company were dismissed from the lawsuit, but the judge refused to dismiss DiNisco. DiNisco argued that it bore no liability for Ritzer's death, while Ritzer's family cited evidence that there were concerns about the security system at the school prior to the murder.

A date for a trial had been set for Oct. 4.

The judge ruled that there were too many undisputed facts to resolve the case and denied a request from the attorney representing DiNisco to delay the trial.

The joint statement said that Ritzer's family had found some answers as a result of the litigation.

"Through the civil litigation, the Ritzers gained answers to questions related to school security at Danvers High School. DiNisco Design was helpful to the Ritzers' pursuit of those answers."

Philip Chism, who was found guilty of Ritzer's murder, is serving a 40-year to life sentence.

"School security is of paramount importance to the Ritzers and through the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Foundation, they will continue to emphasize the importance of improving school security for students and teachers. DiNisco Design joins the Ritzers in honoring Colleen's memory," concluded the joint statement.

Colleen was from Andover, where her family still lives.

Attorneys for neither the Ritzer family or DiNisco could be reached for comment Saturday.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.

Teddy Tauscher may be contacted at ttauscher@gloucestertimes.com