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Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Students Victimized by Armed Drug Raid

By Jeralyn, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 11:19:49 AM EST
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In 2003, the Goose Creek police department conducted an outrageous armed raid on a S.C. high school looking for drugs which they did not find. The principal resigned and lawsuits were filed.

Yesterday, "a federal judge approved a $1.6 million class-action settlement to compensate students who were searched....in a lawsuit filed against the Berkeley County School District and the Goose Creek Police Department by students' families."

The students will split $1.2 million. Their attorneys' will receive the remaining $400,000. The exact amount each student receives will depend on the final number of claims, but could average between $6,000 and $12,000 apiece.

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    Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Students Victimized by Armed Drug Raid | 17 comments (17 topical)
    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 11:45:22 AM EST
    Question: is the money held in trust for the kids who aren't 18 yet, or is it basically given to their parents?

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#2)
    by Beck on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 12:53:21 PM EST
    Wow, a class action verdict where the class members get some cash. Normally the lawyers would get the cash and each student would get a free ticket to the FOP spaghetti dinner.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 01:29:37 PM EST
    Good for the kids...they got a valuable lesson in accountability and justice...and a nice chunk of change for being tyrannized. With any luck other school administrators and the law enforcement they work with will take notice that you can't turn a school into a prison without consequences. A win for freedom...the sun god knows she could use some victories these days.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 03:23:08 PM EST
    Guess which community will have its Real Estate taxes raised next year? Entirely deserved.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#5)
    by jondee on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 03:31:58 PM EST
    Wile - How so?

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#6)
    by squeaky on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 03:32:46 PM EST
    Wile E. Coyote-I would be suprised if the money came out of the school or district's coffers. Usually Insurance covers this sort of thing.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 05:03:50 PM EST
    Squeaky: I tried to find if insurance covered this. I would be suprised if it did. Even if it did, insurance rates will go up and either a good-hearted person will pony up the money, or the district will suck it up and then the taxpayers will pay up.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 05:29:56 PM EST
    I bet a bunch of those kids buy weed with that cash! True justice.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#9)
    by squeaky on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 06:55:39 PM EST
    Wile E. Coyote-I would think that a school district would go broke defending itself if it were not for an insurance policy. As long as the institution acted in good faith and no dishonesty was involved the insurance co would pay for the lawyers and the judgment. The cost of insurance would be spread over the whole district and unless there were law suits all the time premiums would not be unbearable. My guess.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#10)
    by Johnny on Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 07:58:30 PM EST
    yes Wile, how is it deserved?

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 03:52:37 AM EST
    Johnny: Raising of taxes to pay for the settlement= collective punishment. A fovorite around topic here.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#12)
    by peacrevol on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 06:45:40 AM EST
    how much would they really have to raise taxes to get a measely $1.6 million tho? i would imagine that in the school district in which i live, they could raise that much by raising taxes by about $0.03 per hundred or less.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#13)
    by Johnny on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 07:37:49 AM EST
    So Wile, are you saying that the collective deserves to be punished for their deeds, or are you saying the collective deserves to be punished for allowing themselves to be punished for their deeds (which implies there was no wrongdoing in the "search")?

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#14)
    by Patrick on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 07:53:29 AM EST
    I don't know if they deserve it or not, but that's pretty much how I think the city and school district are going to pay for it

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#15)
    by kdog on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 08:25:45 AM EST
    Money aside...I hope the wanna-be gestapo who signed off on the raid paid with their jobs. Goose-step Creek.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 09:09:25 AM EST
    Johnny: I should have turned on the sarcasm alert. If that was done in my kids school, I would have been in the suit also.

    Re: Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Student (none / 0) (#17)
    by Johnny on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 12:39:43 PM EST
    OK Wile, thanks for clarifying.

    Judge Approves $1.6 Mil Settlement for Students Victimized by Armed Drug Raid | 17 comments (17 topical)