Family of Anthony N. Almazan ’16 Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Harvard

The family of Anthony N. Almazan ’16 filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Harvard on June 18, alleging the University mishandled a sexual harassment case involving Almazan.

The suit alleges that Harvard improperly handled two sexual harassment cases involving Almazan — a student at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health — and another unnamed individual, resulting in emotional distress that contributed to Almazan’s suicide in June 2021.

Filed by his parents Adrian and Marietta Almazan in the Suffolk County Superior Court, the suit also names former Harvard Office for Dispute Resolution Investigator Jennifer Kirshenbaum and an unnamed former HMS student — who appears to be the same unnamed individual involved in the sexual harassment cases — as defendants.

The first Title IX case identified in the suit included multiple complaints filed by Almazan in November 2020 against the unnamed individual, while the second was filed by the individual against Almazan one month later.

The lawsuit claims that Harvard’s Office of Dispute Resolution committed breaches of contract in handling the cases, including failing to notify Almazan for multiple weeks that a claim had been made against him, during which time he had been providing information to an investigator.

It also alleges that the ODR failed to notify Almazan of his “reconsideration or appellate rights” — which would allow him to appeal the verdict — and claims they deliberately sought out expert witness opinions that would support the claim against him.

The suit accuses each of the defendants of “negligent infliction of emotional distress” that led to Almazan’s death and seeks an amount deemed “fair and just,” in addition to punitive damages, costs, interest, and funeral and burial expenses.

A spokesperson for HMS and did not respond to a request for comment on the suit. University spokesperson Jason A. Newton declined to comment.

The lawsuit comes less than two months after a Harvard Counseling and Mental Health Service employee was found not culpable of negligence in handling the mental health case of Luke Z. Tang ’18, an undergraduate who died by suicide at Harvard in 2015.

David W. Heinlein, who represented Tang’s family in that case, is also representing Almazan’s estate. He did not respond to a request for comment on the new filing.

—Staff writer Veronica H. Paulus can be reached at veronica.paulus@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @VeronicaHPaulus.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.