WASHINGTON: Catholic School Settles Wrongful Expulsion Lawsuit
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Officials at St. Joseph Catholic School have agreed to pay
$10,000 to a former student whose mother sued the private school
in 2000 after claiming her son was taunted by his seventh-grade
classmates in the winter and then wrongfully expelled, the
Columbian.com reports.

When she filed the lawsuit in August 2000, Rosemere resident Jan
Panfilio said her son was expelled because of her contact with
school officials over the alleged taunts.  Ms. Panfilio, a
single mother and a non-Catholic, also claimed the school
officials didn't like her "lifestyle."  However, the school
maintains Ms. Panfilio withdrew her son.

Seattle attorney Patricia Buchanan, who represented St. Joseph,
said the school's staff members "remained steadfast that they
didn't do anything wrong . This was a defensible case."

Ms. Buchanan added that the school opted to settle so the boy
could move on with his life.  "The real conflict was between the
school and boy's mother," she continued.

Ms. Buchanan told the Columbian school officials had asked the
mother to refrain from calling parents of her son's classmates
while the school did its own investigation of the alleged
harassment.  The mother wouldn't cooperate.

In the lawsuit, Ms. Panfilio asked for her son's readmission to
the school, $2,480 in tuition reimbursements and an unspecified
amount for emotional distress.  The boy transferred to a
Vancouver public school after he left St. Joseph and never
returned.  The $10,000 was placed in an account, which her son
can draw upon when he turns 18 in 2005.

Vancouver attorney Bill Montecucco, who represented Ms. Panfilio
and representatives of the school told the Columbian they could
not discuss the settlement, which was supposed to be
confidential but nevertheless was mentioned several times in
papers filed in Clark County Superior Court.  The lawsuit was
dismissed Tuesday by Judge Roger Bennett after the out-of-court
settlement was reached.

Source:  http://bankrupt.com/CAR_Public/031020.mbx