Jurist Urges Mediation for Teacher’s Lawsuit

A Ventura High School teacher’s lawsuit against one of her students had no business being filed in Superior Court and should be settled through mediation, the judge who is presiding over the case said Wednesday.

“This is at best a Small Claims Court case,” Superior Court Judge William L. Peck said at a hearing. “It should be resolved without all the money that is being spent here.”

In December, Sue McEwen filed a lawsuit against juniors Matthew Lee and Cliff Hawthorne in a case involving forgery, fraud and invasion of privacy. She claimed that the pair duplicated a rubber stamp she uses to validate homework assignments.

Earlier this month, Hawthorne was dropped from the suit.

McEwen’s attorney, Lawrence Trygstad, said the suit was filed in Superior Court because the English teacher was seeking a judge’s order that would prevent the students from using the stamp.

Don Everhart, the attorney representing Lee, has said repeatedly that the case did not belong in the courts.

In October, Lee took an impression of McEwen’s rubber stamp and had a duplicate made.

The lawsuit initially alleged that Hawthorne acted in concert with Lee. The students were caught before they were able to use the stamp.

They were expelled from the English class and given a failing grade for the semester.

But their punishment was reduced after Lee’s parents appealed, and the Ventura Unified School District agreed that the punishment was too severe.

McEwen said the parents’ actions pushed her to sue.

A tentative settlement reached in February fell apart after McEwen publicly said she had been vindicated.

The two parties will have another chance to reach an accord. Peck offered to mediate the case at a settlement conference June 17.