The case in summary: Lillesand municipality is not obliged to compensate three sisters who were previously pupils at Lillesand secondary school, according to a judgment from the Agder district court. The sisters and their mother sued the school for failing to provide them with a safe school environment. The three sisters have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are struggling with nightmares after the bullying and racism, according to the solicitor. The court believes that there is no failure on the part of the school’s staff in their work with the girls’ psychosocial environment at school. In the spring of 2021, the State Administrator in Agder determined that Lillesand secondary school has not done enough to ensure a safe school environment for the daughters. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – I am satisfied with the outcome of the verdict. At the same time, I want to say that the case is sad, says Lillesand municipal director Guri Ulltveit-Moe. A recent judgment from the Agder district court states that Lillesand municipality is not obliged to compensate three sisters who were pupils at Lillesand secondary school a few years ago. The three sisters, aged 16 to 20, met Lillesand municipality in Agder district court in November. Together with their mother, the sisters sued Lillesand secondary school for not having provided them with a safe school environment. Ulltveit-Moe believes the judgment is comprehensive, thorough and gives a good insight into the actual circumstances. – The demands that could reasonably be made for the school to prevent bullying, racist offenses and ensure a good and safe school environment have been met and the municipality’s employees have not acted negligently, she says. Municipal director in Lillesand Guri Ulltveit-Moe says the sisters have been exposed to conditions they should not have been exposed to. – I’m sorry for that, she says. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Struggling with nightmares and flashbacks In court before Christmas, paralegal Amina Riaz told about three sisters who are still struggling. Riaz represents the two youngest sisters. The three sisters have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and struggle with nightmares after the bullying and racism, Riaz has previously stated. news has not been able to get a comment from Riaz about the verdict. Paralegal Nargis Shah represents the mother and the eldest of the sisters. She tells news that the client is very disappointed by the verdict and that they are considering an appeal. – We will have a closer conversation about it as soon as I return from holiday, says Shah. Unanimous verdict The court believes that Lillesand municipality is not liable for damages towards the sisters and their mother. The municipality has been fully supported and the verdict is unanimous. “In summary, the court finds that there is no failure on the part of the school’s staff in the work with (one of the girls’ names) psychosocial environment at the school,” the 69-page judgment reads. The same conclusion applies to the other two sisters. The girls’ mum Nicole during the trial in November with paralegal Amina Riaz (back) and paralegal Nargis Shah representing the family. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news In spring 2021, the State Administrator in Agder determined that Lillesand secondary school has not done enough to ensure a safe school environment for the daughters. In the judgment, district court judge Elin Moseidjord writes the following about the state administrator’s decision from 2021: “.. The state administrator assesses the facts based on the conditions at the time of the decision.. The court, for its part, must assess the school’s duty to act based on the information the school had continuously from 2019 until the incident on 07.01 .2021”. The incident referred to here is an episode where two of the sisters were threatened by several boys on the bus. One also allegedly displayed a knife. The judgment states that “..the court’s decision is made after extensive and oral evidence with full contradiction and differs from the State Administrator’s proceedings”. Received threats from all over the country It was the girls’ older sister Presilya who put the spotlight on the case two years ago. She then posted a post on Facebook where she talked about racism and bullying by two of the sisters at Lillesand secondary school. news and several other media covered the case, which led to young people in Lillesand receiving threats from all over the country. Municipal director Ulltveit-Moe says bullying and racism is a serious issue that they are continuously working to prevent. – Following this case, Lillesand secondary school has, among other things, become a Dembra school. This means that the school works to prevent prejudice and racism. The court believes the sisters’ mother must pay NOK 30,000 in court costs to Lillesand municipality. Other litigation costs are exempted from the plaintiff. The judgment is not yet final. Hello! Did you think of anything in particular when you read this story or have any tips for something else I should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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Lillesand municipality must not pay compensation in a bullying case – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
