Jury awards £1 million compensation to pupil who had to urinate in a bucket because teacher refused to allow her use the toilet
A 19-year-old girl has been awarded £1 million by a jury in compensation
for being forced to urinate in a bucket while she was a student at
Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, California.
The girl who was 14-years-old at the time of the incident had requested
for permission from her teacher to use the bathroom, however, the
teacher, Gonja Wolf, who thought the school had a strict 'no bathroom
breaks during class' policy told her she could not go and suggested she
use a bucket in the supply room.
The pupil reportedly took the option of urinating in the bucket and
flushing it down a sink. This she claims led to her being humiliated and
bullied in school to the point that she became depressed and attempted
suicide. She sued the school after it rejected a claim for £20,000.
The school's district attorney, Katheryn Martin, told the court that the
teacher had not intended to humiliate the pupil and referred to Ms
Wolf's suggestion to the girl as a "lapse of judgment which she thought
was a good idea".
The pupil was awarded £1 million in compensation plus £32,500 to cover
medical expenses. The school was not satisfied with the decision reached
by the jury and are considering appealing the judgement, as revealed by
a spokesperson for the school district.
