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Paula Payne v. West Feliciana Parish School System
Date: 03-31-2007
Case Number: 3:05-cv-00820-JJB-CN
Judge: James J. Brady
Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana (Baton Rouge Parish)
Plaintiff's Attorney:
Jill Craft of Craft & Craft, Baton Rouge, Lousiana
Defendant's Attorney:
Bob Hammonds, Karen Murphy, Brett Searcy and Frank Endom, Hammonds & Sills, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Paula Payne sued West Feliciana Parish School System for violating her civil rights, 42 U.S.C. 1983 and retaliating against by suspending and demoting after she refused to change the Ds and Fs she gave to 70 percent of her students. Plaintiff was suspended for five days in November 2004 because she refused to meet with administrators unless a Louisiana Education Association representative was there. Plaintiff a 16-year teacher claimed that she was suspended and demoted because she refused to change the grades and then her story to a television station. Louisiana law bars any principal, superintendent or school board member from influencing or altering a student's grade. In January 2005, Plaintiff was suspended her for 45 days for willful neglect of duty. She was then made a library monitor and was given tutoring classes with no students. She now teach English to inmates at the Dixon Correctional Center.
Defendants denied wrongdoing.
About This Case
What was the outcome of Paula Payne v. West Feliciana Parish School System?
The outcome was: Plaintiff's verdict for $1.4 million including $1.2 million for mental anguish and $200,000 in punitive damages.
Which court heard Paula Payne v. West Feliciana Parish School System?
This case was heard in United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana (Baton Rouge Parish), LA. The presiding judge was James J. Brady.
Who were the attorneys in Paula Payne v. West Feliciana Parish School System?
Plaintiff's attorney: Jill Craft of Craft & Craft, Baton Rouge, Lousiana. Defendant's attorney: Bob Hammonds, Karen Murphy, Brett Searcy and Frank Endom, Hammonds & Sills, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
When was Paula Payne v. West Feliciana Parish School System decided?
This case was decided on March 31, 2007.