Bullied, Assaulted Florida Boy Awarded $5.2M

A South Florida jury has awarded more than $5.2 million to a boy who sued a charter school claiming he was bullied and sexually assaulted by an older student.

The jury verdict Tuesday came in a lawsuit the boy and his mother filed in 2012 claiming Downtown Miami Charter School was negligent in failing to stop the assaults.

The boy said the assaults started when he was seven, with one occurring on a school transport van and two others in a school restroom. Attorney Jeff Herman called the verdict vindication for the boy and his mother.

The Miami Herald reported that school attorneys called the verdict disappointing and said they plan to challenge it. Florida law limits liability in lawsuits against charter schools to $300,000.