School Bathroom Stabbing

Miami, FL: (Mar-26-08) The family of 14-year-old Jaime Gough brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the Miami-Dade School District, after the teenager was stabbed to death in the bathroom of Southwood Middle School in 2004. Records show that the two sides agreed to resolve the dispute and entered into a settlement agreement. Under the terms of the deal, the school system agreed to pay the Goughs $1.7 million. As per the records, the district paid the family $200,000, which is the legal limit for government agencies under sovereign immunity laws, and its insurance company paid an additional $500,000.

The remainder comes under a special clause, where a state Senate special master's opinion stated that the district shouldn't be held liable for the attack. Sources said that for Jaime's parents to collect the remainder, the Florida Legislature must pass a claims bill. Special Master Eleanor Hunter claimed that the failure of the School Board to install metal detectors cannot be a basis for a finding of negligence. Though school officials have admitted liability for the boy's death, sources stated that the colossal task of convincing lawmakers that the school system was negligent lies ahead. [MIAMI HERALD: $1.7 MILLION CLAIMS BILL FOR SLAIN TEEN HITS ROADBLOCK]

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Published on Mar-29-08