Bullying victim wins enormous payout from school after teachers dismissed her abuse as BOY TROUBLE
A California student who was bullied by her peers and dismissed by teachers who claimed she was just experiencing trouble with young love won an enormous payout years after the abuse.
Eleri Irons, now 21, filed a lawsuit against El Segundo Middle School in 2019 over ruthless bullying she endured, including a sickening student-made petition titled 'Let's kill Eleri Irons.'
In 2022, a jury found the El Segundo Unified School District (ESUSD) was negligent in addressing Irons' situation, which led to her mental health issues and injuries, the ruling read.
The district was ordered to pay Irons $1million in damages, and on Monday, the California Court of Appeal upheld that decision after ESUSD appealed the decision.
The payout includes $700,000 for past noneconomic damages and $300,000 for future noneconomic damages, according to the ruling.
Because of the ongoing harassment, Irons, who was 13 when the bullying started in 2017, harmed herself and suffered from PTSD, her attorney, Christa Ramey previously stated.
Irons and her parents repeatedly went to administrators and counselors for help as the incidents occurred on school property and school-supervised field trips, but they 'dismissed the concerns as drama over a teen love triangle,' Ramey stated.
The school district appealed the decision, claiming that the jury's findings were supported by insufficient evidence and Irons' injuries were caused by El Segundo Middle School employees' failure to protect the former student from others.
The district also argued the trial court allowed Irons to rely on specific provisions of the California Education Code, per the ruling.
They also said the court allowed the jury to consider negligent training and supervision theory when coming to a decision because Irons has dismissed her second cause of action, which included retention, negligent hiring, supervision and training, The Mercury News reported.
The appeals court decided the district's arguments lacked merit, and ultimately ruled it breached its duty to confirm and protect Irons.
Melissa Gooden, then-principal at the middle school, reportedly lied about calling the police as she learned of the petition calling for Irons' death on June 13, 2018.
Even after finding out about the petition, teachers failed to notify Irons' parents.
Ramey previously told the LA Times that Gooden 'didn't call the police that day. She attempted to make it seem like they did everything they could, but in reality, during the entire year, they didn't do anything.'
According to Ramey, Irons' father called the school fuming over not being told about the petition immediately and said he would be coming to the school to speak with Gooden the next day.
Police said they weren't called until that following day, just minutes before Irons' father came to speak with them.
'They never investigated a single claim of bullying made by my client,' Ramey said of school administrators.
Police said they spoke to Irons and her father and identified the student who made the petition and a girl who signed it, who were then both suspended, though police found no credible death threat.
'Every teacher, counselor and administrator who touched this case failed not only my client, but also the aggressors and every other student at the school,' Ramey said.
'Bullying is to be taken seriously and the administrators are culpable when they don't stop it,' she continued.
Following the 2022 ruling, Melissa Moore, the previous El Segundo Superintendent, said the district will be making changes in the wake of the case.
She retired after decade in the position in 2024. Moore has since been replaced with Dr. Jason Johnson.
The school district, which is made up of approximately 3,500 students, added two new student safety positions at elementary schools to avoid repeating the situation.
'As a school district, we respect the ruling of the court and acknowledge the findings of the lawsuit,' Moore reportedly said.
'The next steps are up to our legal counsel. As we move forward, we are committed to self-improvement and doing everything we can to prevent bullying in our schools, she concluded.
New security measures have also been introduced to all schools in the district, The Mercury News reported.
In 2022 Irons said she was actually 'thankful' for the events as she hopes it means students will not encounter the same obstacles she did when she was bullied.
'I am so thankful that I have been able to share my experience and to actually be taken seriously so that the next time a child asks for help, the school will address it the way they should have for me,' she said.
Irons has gone on to attend the University of San Diego, where she is currently a junior history major, per the school's website.
In March, she presented research at the Phi Alpha Theta Southern California Regional Conference, hosted by California State University.
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