This Honorable Court: court cases brought by bullied students

The links below are about court cases brought by bullying victims and/or their parents. Links to more recent court-case articles (i.e., anything posted in the past six months) may be found in Raven Days' current-news section, Radio Free High School. Court-case links which are still active after six months are moved here.

Parent Files Bullying Charges Against Criminal Kids -- Jan. 30, 2009. -- Cumberland County, NC, USA. -- The parents of 12-year-old Allyson Inman are suing their daughter's school system for failing to protect her from bullies. Article web-published by WWAY.

Hudson School Bullying Case Goes to Trial -- Jan. 12, 2009. -- Hudson, Michigan, USA. -- A state circuit court panel has ruled that a middle school student's case against his school system for failing to take action against students who bullied him may proceed to a full trial. Article by Ed Brayton for the Michigan Messenger.

Lawsuit Alleges Tukwila School Officials.... -- Jan. 6, 2009. -- Seattle, Washington, USA. -- The parents of a student with Asperger's Syndrome are suing their son's school for failing to protect him from bullies. Article by Steve Miletich for the Seattle Times.. See also Jan. 8th's What is a School's Responsibility, by Michele Johansen and Lexie Tigre for the Examiner.

Former Tallmadge Football Player Loses Appeal.... -- Nov. 26, 2008. -- Akron, Ohio, USA. -- The conviction of a football player accused of sexually assaulting a teammate has been upheld. Article by Phil Trexler for the Akron Beacon-Journal. See also Oct. 17, 2007's Special Prosecutor to Look Into Locker Room Hazing Incident, web-published by WEWS.

Teen Sues All-Girls School Over Alleged Bullying -- July 24, 2008. -- Miami, Florida, USA. -- A 15-year-old parochial school student is suing her school for failing to keep her safe from bullying. Article web-published by CBS4.

Mother Sues Fayette Schools Over Alleged Bullying -- July 3, 2008. -- Fayette County, Kentucky, USA. -- Denise Jones is suing her daughter's school system for allowing her to be bullied for two years in middle school. Article by Brandon Ortiz for the Herald-Leader.

Parents Sue School After Bullied Son Commits Suicide -- June 16, 2008. -- Prestonsburg, Kentucky, USA. -- 13-year-old Stephen Patton shot himself after being relentlessly bullied at school. Now his parents are suing his school system. Article by Cassondra Kirby for the Pantagraph.

Teen's Family Sues Middle School After Bullying -- June 14, 2008. -- West Islip, New York, USA. -- 13-year-old Patrick Kohlmann posted a video to YouTube to draw attention to the fact that he was being bullied and school officials were doing nothing. School officials still did nothing, so Patrick and his parents are suing his school system. Article by Raina Gittlin and Stephanie Dahle for ABC.

Three Families File Suit Over School Bullying -- May 30, 2008. -- Louisville, Kentucky, USA. -- 13-year-old Stephen Patton killed himself after being relentlessly bullied. Two other boys from the same part of Kentucky were also repeatedly beaten up by schoolmates. The parents of all three children are suing their school systems for failure to keep them safe. Article by Connie Leonard for WAVE.

Should Suitable Education be Defined by Parents or LA? -- Legal advice column about court cases involving the home schooling of bullied students in Britain. Column by Michael Segal for TeachingExpertise.

Settlement Doesn't End Ordeal for Scruggs -- March 7, 2008. -- Meridien, Connecticut, USA. -- In January, 2002, 12-year-old Daniel Scruggs killed himself. His mother sued his school system. Now she has settled out of court. Article by Elisabeth Strillacci for the Record-Journal.. See also March 6th's Settlement Reached in Scruggs Lawsuit, by Amanda Falcone for the Record-Journal.

Judge Slashes Jury's $4 Million Payout to Boy in Bullying Case -- December 19, 2007. -- Tampa, Florida, USA. -- A boy whose arm was broken by bullies won his lawsuit, but his damages award has been cut to $600,000 from $4 million. Article by Thomas W. Krause for the Tampa Tribune. See also December 18th's Award in Bullying Case is Slashed, by Colleen Jenkins for the St. Petersburg Times.

Suit Over Bullying Settled for $15,000 -- September 7, 2007. -- Springdale, Arkansas, USA. -- Roger and Marilyn Poerschke have settled for $15,000 in their case against their disabled son's school system. The boy was bullied at school in 2003. Article web-published by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Parent Sues School Over Bullying Claim -- March 12, 2007. -- Midwest City, Oklahoma, USA. -- Sheila James is suing her son's school system for failing to protect him from bullies. Article by Eric Bradshaw for the Sunday Sun.

20,000 Pounds for Woman Who Was Bullied as Pupil -- February 21, 2006. -- Blaenavon, Gwent, Wales, U.K. -- 23-year-old Sophie Amor has received 20,000 pounds' compensation for having been bullied from age four to age 11. She was homeschooled thereafter. Article by Simon De Bruxelles for the Times. See also February 20th's Council Pays out 20,000 Pounds Over School Bullying, web-published by the Guardian.

Parents Settle Suit for Alleged Bullying by their Children -- October 15, 2005. -- Pacifica, California, USA. -- In 2003, the father of a boy who competes on an international level in ballroom dancing sued his son's school system, charging that administrators and teachers had failed to protect his son from teasing and bullying by schoolmates. He also sued the parents of the bullies, some of whom have now settled out of court. Article by S.L. Wykes for the San Jose Mercury News, web-published by the Houston Chronicle. See also September 26, 2003's Boy's Father Files Complaint Over Teasing at Pacifica School, by Simone Sebastian for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Appeals Court Rules Rosewood Coach Can Be Sued -- July 18, 2005. -- Goldsboro, North Carolina, USA. -- Bob Meeker's parents are suing his school system and his wrestling coach over a sexual hazing he suffered in 2001. Article by Barbara Arntsen for the Goldsboro News-Argus.

NYMA Must Help Find Hazing Witnesses -- June 1, 2005. -- Cornwall, New York. USA. -- A court has ruled that the New York Military Academy must cooperate in a former cadet's investigations of past hazing incidents at the school. The former cadet, who was 15 when he was systematically bullied by schoolmates, is suing the school, and he wants to prove a pattern of prior hazing. Article by Michael Randall for the Times Herald-Record.

Yemeni Teen Sues Over Alleged Football Sex Assault, -- May 16, 2005. -- Melvindale, Michigan, USA. -- A football player who was sexually assaulted by teammates is suing his school system. An AP article web-published by WDIV.

Court Move in Bullying Test Case -- August 6, 2004. -- Newmachar, Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K. -- 15-year-old Natalie King is suing her local education authority, charging that they have failed to protect her from her schoolmates. Article web-published by the BBC.

Lawsuit Filed in Alleged School Hazing Incident -- June 22, 2004. -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. -- In July, 2002, a 14-year-old football player was sexually assaulted by an older teammate on the team bus. The victim's parents have filed a civil suit against the attacker and the team's coach. Article by Rene Wallisch for WPXI.

Parents Sue Districts to Stop Bullies at Schools -- May 12, 2004. -- Tonganoxie, Kansas, USA. -- A student is suing his school district for failing to prevent him from being bullied and sexually harassed at school. Article by Heather Hollingsworth, web-published by the Lawrence Journal-World.

Bully Claim: Boy's Father Hits Back -- March 25, 2004. -- Dundee, Scotland, U.K. -- A student obtained a restraining order against another student whom he said was bullying him. Now, the father of the alleged bully says that in fact the alleged victim was bullying the alleged bully's younger brother, and that the alleged bully was merely defending his sibling. Article by Bryan Kay for the Evening Telegraph and Post.

Parent of Arrested Laguna Creek Student Sues -- February 24, 2004. -- Elk Grove, California, USA. -- On February 10th, two students were arrested on charges of attempted murder and attempted burglary for allegedly planning a school shooting. Although the attack was supposed to take place February 11th, no guns or explosives were found at their homes. Now the mother of one of the students is suing her son's school district and the Sacramento County sheriff. Article web-published by KCRA. See also February 17th's Alleged Campus Plot Prompts NAACP Meeting, February 11th's Laguna Creek Students On Edge After Arrests, and February 11th's Students Arrested in Alleged Campus Plot.

Parents Seek 1.5 Million Over Alleged Bullying of Children -- February 20, 2004.-- Spencer, Indiana, USA. -- Michael and Jane Seiwert are suing their children's school district. His daughter's nose was broken by bullies and his son was also bullied and harassed. Michael Seiwert is also running for the school board. AP article, web-published by the Times.

Girl Loses Claim for School Fees -- January 23, 2004. -- Reading, England, U.K. -- The High Court has ruled that 14-year-old Caroline Southern is not entitled to be reimbursed for her boarding-school tuition by her county council. Caroline's father had argued that his gifted daughter was being bullied by schoolmates and that her academic needs were not being met. Article web-published by the BBC.

Legal Aid for Bullying Damages Bid -- January 20, 2004. -- Newmachar, Scotland, U.K. -- 15-year-old Natalie King has been granted legal aid to sue her local education authority. She and her parents contend that she has been bullied throughout her school career and that the continual bullying has affected her academically and psychologically. Article web-published by the BBC.

Parents Sue Over Bullying -- December 23, 2003. -- Monroe Township, Pennsylvania, USA. -- The parents of a 17-year-old mainstreamed student are suing their son's school system, claiming that the school failed to "protect him from a pervasively hostile educational environment". Article by Tatiana Zarnowski for the Sentinel.

Detroit Student Files Suit Over Alleged Band Hazing -- November 11, 2003. -- Detroit, Michigan, USA. -- A student was kicked, punched and paddled by fellow members of his school's marching band. He is suing his school and the band's conductor for $5 million dollars. Article web-published by ClickOnDetroit.com.

Father Speaks Out Over Bullying -- June 30, 2003. -- Devon, England, U.K. -- 14-year-old Liam Kirk's arm was broken by eight students who had been bullying him during an "anti-bullying lesson". Local police have declined to prosecute, citing lack of evidence. Article web-published by the BBC.

Victim of School Bullies Awarded $75,000, -- June 21, 2003. -- Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. -- Lisa Jane Eskinazi, now 21, has been awarded $73,700 in a judgement against the state of Victoria. For two years, beginning at age 15, she was routinely attacked by a group of girls at her public school. Even when the incidents occurred right outside the teachers' lounge, teachers at the school took no action. Article by Rachel Carbonell for ABC.

Girls Ordered Not to Bully -- Perth, Scotland, UK.-- May 5, 2003. -- 17-year-old Jenny Souter has obtained a court order barring four schoolmates from bullying her. Article by Kirsty Scott for The Guardian.

Bullied Teenager Taking School to Court -- May 7, 2003. -- London, England, U.K. -- 16-year-old Ricky Clements is suing his school for failing to protect him from being bullied. Article web-published by CBBC.

Civil Rights Suit Settled in Puyallup Schools -- September 18, 2002. -- Puyallup, Washington, USA. -- The Puyallup school system has agreed to pay 7.5 million dollars to settle a batch of lawsuits brought by 36 nonwhite students and their parents, who charged that the school authorities did nothing to protect nonwhite students from racial harassment by schoolmates. Article by Mike Roarke and Candace Heckman for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

District, Ex-Student Settle Case; Gay Tolerance Program To Be Implemented -- August 14, 2002. -- Visalia, California, USA. -- 20-year-old George Loomis has won his case against his school system for failing to take action against high school classmates who spat on him and teased him about his sexual orientation. Article by Christopher Heredia for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Former Pupils Lose Bullying Case -- July 5, 2002. -- Peterlee, England, UK. -- Jamie Bright and Caroline Newby have lost their case against Shotton Hall Secondary School. The two had charged that their school failed to protect them from "serious and sustained" bullying. The court agreed that they had been bullied at school but said that the school was not at fault in the matter. Article web-published by the BBC. See also Former Pupils Sue Over Bullying Claims, also web-published by the BBC.

"Landmark" Bullying Case Goes to Appeal -- December 10, 2001. -- Crawley, West Sussex, UK. -- -- The Court of Appeal denied the appeal of 19-year-old Leah Bradford-Smart. She had sued her local education authority for 75,000 pounds, contending that she was subjected to "persistent and prolonged bullying"; at her middle school from 1990 to 1993. In November, 2000, the High Court found that most of the bullying had occurred on the school bus and in her neighborhood, and ruled that the school could not have been expected to prevent this. Bradford-Smart then appealed, arguing that the school had a duty of care which extended beyond the school gates. The Court of Appeal found that this was not the case. Article web-published by the BBC. See also November 8th, 2000's Teenager Loses Bullying Claim, web-published by the BBC, October 24th, 2000's Girl Sues Over Bullying Claim, web-published by the BBC.

School Bullying Claim Rejected -- February 23, 2001. -- Ryde, Isle of Wight, U.K. -- Emma Hansen, 24, has lost her case against the Ryde school district. She had claimed that the bullying she received at her high school had prompted her to attempt suicide at the age of 16, in 1993, and that she had been left unable to work, largely as a result of psychiatric damage. Article web-published by the BBC.

Disabled Girl Abused by Bully Wins $310,000 Court Judgement -- August 16, 2000. -- Seattle, Washington, USA. Taya Haugstad, now 19, was teased and bullied by one particular boy at her school from 1993 to 1997. He insulted her, blocked her progress down the hall in her wheelchair, and pushed her wheelchair into walls. In 1997, the boy was arrested on harassment charges; he and his family settled with Taya's family out of court. Taya's case against her school district, for failing to take action to stop the harassment, continued, and a U.S. District Court jury awarded her $300,000 in damages on Monday, August 14th. Article by Sam Skolnik for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Bullying Victim Paid 6,000 Pounds By Council -- October 29, 1999. North Yorkshire, England, UK. John Carnell, now 18, has settled out of court with the North Yorkshire County Council for six thousand pounds. When he was 12, his parents took him out of school after he had been relentlessly bullied for a year, and the family sued the local school system. The North Yorkshire school system has stated that it does not admit liability and that it has only made the settlement in order to avoid "further experse and disruption." Article web-published by the BBC

Victim of Bullying Takes Local Authority to Court -- June 23, 1998 -- Lothian, Scotland, UK. -- Deborah Scott is suing her school district for having failed to protect her from relentless bullying in secondary school. Article web-published by the BBC.

All original material on the Raven Days website, except the material appearing in the sections Words Out of Shadow and Lighting the Way, © 1999-2009 by its creator and maintainer, Meredith Minter Dixon.. Copyright to the articles in the sectionsWords Out of Shadow and Lighting the Way is retained by their authors. Counter: 538