Columbus, Ohio, March 13, 2017 — Capital University student Elijah “Eli” Fulton recently settled his racial discrimination lawsuit in the United States District Court against the southern Ohio Western Brown Local School District Board of Education. The lawsuit alleged that Eli was harassed based on his race for three years and that Western Brown failed to take appropriate action to protect him.
Magistrate Stephanie K. Bowman wrote in an Order that Fulton had, “suffered racial harassment for three years that ultimately forced him out of the Western Brown School District” and advised that “a reasonable jury could find that the district’s responses to the racial harassment Fulton endured were insufficient” and that, despite his complaints, the board remained indifferent. The allegations included other students calling him a “nigger” and telling him to “go back to the ghetto,” along with a teacher blaming affirmative action for the downfall of the white man. Columbus school discrimination lawyer.
“My case proves there are real consequences for this kind of behavior,” said Fulton. “I hope it shows people it’s important to not let obstacles others place in our way derail us from our dreams. I used the ridicule I endured at Western Brown as motivation, instead of letting it ruin me.” Eli transferred from Western Brown to Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati, where he excelled in basketball. Eli’s determination and strong work ethic earned him an academic scholarship to Capital University where he is currently attending. discrimination attorney Columbus Ohio
“While we are extremely gratified to have been able to settle this matter on Eli’s behalf, we are terribly discouraged that we are seeing a repeated pattern of racial discrimination in the southern Ohio school district[s],” said Sonia Walker of The Calig Law Firm in Columbus, Ohio, which filed suit on Fulton’s behalf. “We do, however, feel justified that the Court recognized the seriousness of the situation.”
This is the second case Calig has settled in the last year involving southern Ohio school districts. The first was the Brooks v. Ripley Union Lewis Huntington School District, also located in Brown County, on behalf of three minority students. The Jones Law Group collaborated with the Calig Law Firm in settling these claims.
Contact: CALIG LAW FIRM, LLC, Sonia T. Walker, Attorney, swalker@caliglaw.com, 614-252-2300