A jury has awarded $15 million to the father of a 13-year-old Los Angeles student who died in 2016 after finding physical education teachers to be at fault for the child's death.
The teen, referred to in court documents only as M.T., died at Palms Middle School on April 25, 2016, after collapsing while jogging during a physical education class.
Staffers at the time said they attempted CPR on the youngster - however, the effort proved ineffective in supplying sufficient oxygen to his heart and brain, leaving the boy effectively brain dead.
Per public school policy, the school had an automated external defibrillator (AED) set aside for such recovery efforts in an office across the street - however, officials failed to use the technology, leaving the boy to languish for a crucial 12 minutes before paramedics arrived.
For nearly six years, medical experts testifying for the boy's father argued the use of the AED device would have saved his son's life - leading jurors to vote to award him the sum Friday, while holding The LA Unified School District liable due to negligence.
'Another hard fought victory for our clients,' civil rights attorney Gary Casselman - who filed the wrongful death suit on behalf of the boy's father back in July 2017 - wrote in an post to Facebook that touted his team's 'years' long [sic] perseverance, [and] unwavering dedication.
Speaking to The Times, he added that while the boy's family is 'gratified that the jury rendered a verdict in their favor', they 'have been devastated by the loss of their son.'
'Nothing will bring him back, but they wanted accountability from the district,' attorney Casselman told The LA Times Friday of the verdict, after the case finally went to trial last week.
Casselman, along with fellow attorney Haytham Faraj, had argued in court papers that physical education staffer failed the youngster when he collapsed during school hours, citing how LAUSD attorneys confirmed the boy had a pre- existing medical condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The condition occurs in individuals whose heart muscle are more thickened than usual, making it more difficult for the heart to pump blood.
Lawyer tapped to represent the district, however, insisted that neither CPR nor the use of an AED would have been enough to restore his heart function to normal, citing his condition.