NEGLIGENT SUPERVISION

PALM BEACH CIRCUIT COURT

The Palm Beach County School Board must pay $200,000 to the family of a boy who was traumatized after being abandoned on one of the county's school buses for five hours.

In a lawsuit against the school board, the boy's parents alleged the bus driver and an attendant ignored protocol by failing to properly monitor the passengers and make sure the bus was empty. They claimed their son, who has Down syndrome, experiences ongoing residual trauma, with manifestations that include bed-wetting, nightmares and a fear of solitude.

The defense contended that the boy was not permanently traumatized and appears happy. The jury awarded $424,600, but the award was statutorily capped at $200,000.

Case: Palamino v. Palm Beach County School Board

Case No.: 50-2017-CA-010626-XXXX-MB

Plaintiffs attorneys: Nelson Baez and Lance C. Ivey, Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, West Palm Beach

Defense attorney: J. Erik Bell, Office of the General Counsel, Palm Beach County School Board, West Palm Beach