 |
Disabled girl abused by bully wins $310,000 court judgment
Wednesday, August 16, 2000
By SAM SKOLNIK
For four agonizing years, from fifth through eighth grade, Taya Haugstad said a classmate taunted and bullied her.
Haugstad, who has cerebral palsy, was tormented by a boy who used insults like "retard," blocked her as she tried to pass in her wheelchair and rammed her into walls.
Haunted by recurring nightmares, she desperately tried to get out of going to school.
But Haugstad and her parents fought back, taking the boy to court. The lawsuit also targeted the Stanwood-Camano School District, claiming teachers and other officials didn't do enough to stop the bullying.
A U.S. District Court jury in Seattle agreed Monday, awarding Haugstad and her parents $310,000.
"I feel like I got my life back," Haugstad, now 19, said yesterday. "Now I can go on."
The boy's family settled the case in April for an undisclosed sum. But the school district, which has denied the allegations, went to trial.
Mark Northcraft, a Seattle lawyer who represents the district, said the jury acted out of sympathy.
"You still have a little girl who was left in a wheelchair who felt that no one believed her," Northcraft said. "They couldn't say no to her."
Northcraft, who plans to appeal the verdict, said teachers and administrators did everything they could to investigate the alleged harassment.
"Whenever a problem came up, they tried to help her," he said. "These are good, quality people."
Haugstad's complaints went far beyond the usual teasing kids face at school.
According to the May 1999 suit, the boy constantly ridiculed Haugstad during the fifth grade, calling her "retard" and "stupid." Haugstad and her mother, Karrie, said they took their complaints to the Church Creek Elementary School principal to no avail.
By the time the students were in eighth grade, the harassment had become physical. The boy would grab the joystick that controlled Haugstad's wheelchair and ram her into a wall while screaming obscenities, she said.
The jury ordered the school district to pay Haugstad $300,000 for infliction of emotional distress, and her parents $10,000 for the impact on their relationship with their daughter.
Haugstad, who fell behind in her studies because of the problems at school, will be a junior this fall.
Her mother isn't sure whether she will attend Stanwood High School. The youth involved in the abuse will be a senior there.
Haugstad hopes to attend the University of Washington and write about disability-related issues.
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
P-I reporter Sam Skolnik can be reached at 206-467-1039 or samskolnik@seattle-pi.com
· Building a better townhouse
· School superintendent reflects on first year
· Grocery bag fee proposal gets warm reception
· New dance fad is stepping out
· Chopp's House holds up homeowners' rights
· Radiation treatment with a new twist
· Sound Transit giving is questioned
· Port takes step to sell Pier 48 to the state
· Court asked to require pharmacists to dispense Plan B
· City responds quickly to Greenwood graffiti
· Health care push gets a $25 million kickoff
· State will run top-two primary
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
