Parents settle Ohio student arm-branding case

“School board members in Mount Vernon agreed Wednesday night to resolve a federal lawsuit by paying $5,500 to the boy and his family and $115,500 to their lawyers.” [AP/NBC4i] We covered the case, in which a teacher is alleged to have branded a cross onto a pupil’s arm, in July; the teacher, John Freshwater, has himself filed a civil rights action against the school district charging religious discrimination, and a suit by the parents against Freshwater remains ongoing.

5 Comments

  • Amazing (and disappointing, and unfortunately not surprising) that the lawyers collect 20 times as much as the victims.

  • Those lawyers deserved every penny. Imagine the trauma they experienced having to discuss that horrible disfigurement.

  • Couldn’t Mr. Freshwater, the teacher, file a suit against the parents for violation of civil rights (namely, discrimination because of his religious beliefs), just like he did vs. the district? have

  • At least the attorneys were made whole.

  • It’s mind-boggling that the school board chose to fight a case where a teacher branded a student’s arm, especially if the family was willing to take only $5,500 in settlement.