Girl, mother sue school district over alleged rape

Friday, Jan. 31, 2003 | 11:13 a.m.

A special education student and her mother are suing the Clark County School District, claiming the girl was raped by two classmates after a teacher ignored her earlier report of sexual harassment by the same boys.

The girl was 15 when the alleged assault took place in May 2001, according to the suit filed Thursday in District Court. The girl and her mother are seeking damages for emotional suffering as well as ongoing medical expenses related to the incident.

"Someone dropped the ball and unfortunately my client's daughter and my client suffered because of it," said Las Vegas attorney Gayle Nathan, who is representing the alleged victims.

Nathan declined to say whether her clients filed a formal complaint against the teacher with the school district at the time of the alleged attack.

William Hoffman, legal counsel for the school district, said Thursday he had not yet seen the suit and could not comment.

The girl said she reported being grabbed and taunted by the boys to her teacher in mid-May of 2001 and was told a report would be made to school administrators, according to the court complaint. Instead, no report was filed and the girl was attacked off school property and raped by the boys, the complaint alleges.

"As no consequence followed the first assault (on the girl), they felt free to act with impunity a second time," the complaint states.

Both boys were prosecuted as minors with one being sentenced to a year's home detention and the other to a year in juvenile hall, Nathan said.

The teacher named in the suit retired in October 2001, according to district records.