White family wins discrimination suit for their bullied teenager. Interesting article.
n 2010, Giovanni Micheli and his parents sued Brentwood School District, where Micheli had been a student, alleging that he had been targeted on account of his race. According to the suit, Micheli, who is white, was bullied Hispanic and African-American students, who called him “cracker” and “white boy.” Lawyers for both sides gave opening arguments in the trial on Monday. The case was resolved on Tuesday, pursuant to a confidential settlement.
From the beginning of his freshman year, in 2007, to the fall of his sophomore year, Micheli “was subjected to racial remarks, taunts, epitaphs, episodes of spitting, and physical assaults inflicted by non-Caucasian students at the District,” his complaint alleged. He also “felt himself at risk due to his minority ethnicity, the absence of any network of social contact and the lack of any support from the school staff.”
As a result of this “racial harassment,” Micheli underwent two psychiatric evaluations in November 2008. Each concluded that he was suffering from anxiety and depression. Starting in November 2008, Micheli was homeschooled. He enrolled at St. John the Baptist, a private school in West Islip, for his junior and senior years. His parents, John and Michele Micheli estimated, according to court documents, that tuition for the two years cost approximately $20,000.
