Lawsuits brought against seven ‘bullies’

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, May 12, 1998 | 9:41 a.m.

A Las Vegas parent whose children have been picked on at school for more than a year is taking the schoolyard bullies to court.

In seven lawsuits filed April 22 in Clark County District Court on behalf of his daughter and a male classmate, lawyer John Muije said the two sixth-graders were among the victims of seven St. Anne Catholic School bullies.

The children, named along with their parents as defendants in the lawsuits, are said to have "repeatedly and consistently harassed, taunted, annoyed, made fun of, teased and abused various classmates."

Among the specific allegations in the lawsuits: one defendant would repeatedly push a plaintiff's lunch off the table while he was going to get milk.

The lawsuits claim the bullying included a restroom beating. Muije said the bullying also consisted of insults and nasty notes.

Muije said he filed the lawsuits, which define the students as "bullies," to force the parents to put a stop to their children's behavior.

"People have accused me of overreacting by filing the lawsuits, but the fact of the matter is that it was business as usual at the school and, in fact, it was getting worse," Muije said.

Muije said that no one has bothered his daughter since the filing of the lawsuits.

One parent named in a suit called it "frivolous" and "legal extortion."

"I think it's just kids being kids," one father named as a defendant said. "It goes on every day."

The father said Muije had not contacted him other than naming him in one of the lawsuits.

"There should have been steps taken to prevent this altogether," he said. "He could have called me on the phone."

Muije said he hoped to settle the case with the parents soon. He said stopping the bullying was more important than winning a cash award in court.

Muije said he did not sue the school because administrators were making attempts to solve the problem. Muije sued the parents to get results more quickly, he said.

"We're not looking to hurt the school or the church," Muije said. "We were not willing to wait as long as they were for things to go through the channels."

School Principal Phyllis Joyce, when asked whether the situation warranted lawsuits, said simply, "No." She declined to answer other questions about the lawsuits.

Experts say it is rare, even in an increasingly litigious society, for parents to sue school bullies.

"It's unusual for it to go that far, but it's not that unusual for parents to feel like they aren't being listened to," bullies expert and Colorado educator William Porter said. "Schools too often don't make interventions or minimize the severity of it."

Porter, associate director for student achievement for the Cherry Creek, Colo., schools, co-authored a book called "Bully-proofing Your Schools," which is used in hundreds of schools nationwide.

Porter said bullies often can be handled with better adult supervision and by creating a climate in which kids stick up for each other against bullies.

Another expert said school officials need to support and protect victims of bullies. Many cases of shootings and stabbings involve bullies and their victims, Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center at Pepperdine University, said.

"Bullying is one of the most serious and underrated issues in the public schools today," Stephens said.

Muije said he is pleased for now that the abuse has stopped and that his daughter is enjoying school again.

"She's been happier than she's been for a long time," Muije said. "She feels that her parents have stood up for her. She feels like her rights have been vindicated."