Family of beaten teenager sues school

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, May 17, 2005 | by ,

OAKLAND -- The family of a

17-year-old boy whose videotaped beating was placed on the Internet has filed a civil claim against the West Contra Costa School District.

The claim maintains that the principal of Hercules High School and other school administrators failed to protect the boy despite earlier assaults.

Personal injury lawyer William Berg claims his client, Hassan Rahgozar, was the target of ethnic slurs and threats of violence before he was beaten in a school bathroom May 6 by at least two other teenagers. Another student videotaped the attack on Rahgozar, who is Iranian American, and later posted it on the Internet.

One of the boys involved in the fight was a 17-year-old Hercules High student who that day had returned to school after being suspended for beating up Rahgozar in April.

The student -- who has since been expelled from the school, according to school officials -- reportedly brought along 18-year- old Eric Guillebeau to attack Rahgozar again.

"If they had taken the appropriate action, I just think the second incident might not have happened," said Berg, who is representing Rahgozar and his father, Mohsen. "These people were so derelict in their duty that they let this adult thug onto their campus."

A spokesman for the school district and Hercules Middle/High School -- both named in the claim -- could not be reached for comment late Monday. They have 45 days to respond to the claim.

Rahgozar's family and their lawyers claim the attacks were racially motivated; however, Hercules police have said that although racial slurs might have been spoken, police were not immediately considering the attack racially motivated.

Teachers, students and security guards had rushed to the bathroom to stop the lunchtime attack against Rahgozar and to take the teens into custody. But Berg said that wasn't enough.