The parents of a Black middle school student who was repeatedly physically restrained and handcuffed by school police for misbehavior related to his disabilities have won out after a precedent-setting five-year legal battle with the local school district and sheriff’s department in southern California.
After presiding over the racial and disability discrimination lawsuit since 2021, U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal approved settlement agreements last fall ordering Moreno Valley United School District (MVUSD) to pay the minor plaintiff, “C.B.” $1.2 million and Riverside County and its sheriff’s department to pay $650,000 to the boy, who was 10 and 11 years old when he was allegedly mistreated by campus security officers (CSOs) and deputy sheriffs assigned as school resource officers (SROs).
But the case has dragged on this year as the parties continued to haggle over attorneys’ fees, which Bernal had ruled must be paid by the school district to counsel for the plaintiffs, whom he deemed the prevailing party.
On Oct. 3, the judge brought the hammer down, ordering the school district to pay plaintiffs’ attorneys $5.3 million in legal fees and $50,000 in case-related costs…