Lawsuit Filed in Alleged Oregon Bullying Case

The family of an Oregon teen is seeking nearly $300,000 in a federal civil rights lawsuit that alleges the boy was bullied and beaten by another high school student.

The lawsuit filed against the Sherwood, Ore., School District and the family of the other boy contends school administrators and that boy’s parents knew he was a bully in middle school but didn’t intervene.

The filing says the plaintiff, then 14, inadvertently bumped into a 15-year-old student in 2009 at Sherwood High School. Lawyer Steven McCarthy contends that contact led to bullying and harassment, ending in an unprovoked attack that broke the younger boy’s nose and knocked out a front tooth.

The Washington County district attorney’s office says the older boy was found guilty of fourth-degree assault.

The Oregonian reports that neither Sherwood district officials nor the older boy’s parents could be reached for comment Friday.