Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
(Salt Lake City-AP) -- A former high school bus driver may ask a superintendent to pay up.
Debra Youren says she was punished for complaining about polygamy-influenced discrimination at West Desert High School.
Youren sued the Tintic County School District and was awarded 218-thousand dollars.
But yesterday the federal appeals court ruled Youren can ask a jury to impose punitive damages against the former superintendent.
School districts are generally immune from punitive damages.
Youren's lawsuit said the school district threatened not to renew her contract in 1998 and ordered her to undergo mental evaluation in response to complaints that some teachers were dating students and seeking sexual relations with them.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
