Spears v. Jefferson Parish School Board

646 So. 2d 1104 (1994)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Spears v. Jefferson Parish School Board

Louisiana Court of Appeal
646 So. 2d 1104 (1994)

  • Written by Alexander Hager-DeMyer, JD

Facts

Justin Spears (plaintiff) was a kindergarten student at Woodland West Elementary School, part of the Jefferson Parish School System. Spears and his class were watching a movie in physical education class due to rain and were supervised by two coaches, John Brooks and Johnny Peyton. Spears and two of his friends began acting up, and Brooks called them over to sit near him. The boys continued acting up and Brooks warned them that he would kill them if the behavior continued. Brooks struggled to manage the three boys and took two of them to his office while he did paperwork. Spears remained behind and talked with Peyton. Brooks asked the two boys with him whether they wanted to pull a prank on Spears, and they agreed. Brooks led Spears to believe that Brooks had killed the two other boys, claiming that he hung them with a jump rope. The boys pretended to be dead on the floor, and Spears began to cry upon seeing them. The Spears family filed suit against the Jefferson Parish School Board (school board) (defendant) for injuries Spears suffered as a result of the incident. The family introduced evidence that Spears suffered mental and emotional trauma from the incident, making him fearful and anxious, regressing his psychological development, and requiring years of future therapy. Although Spears had been a well-adjusted child prior to the incident, he became unable to use the bathroom alone, testifying that he was afraid that Brooks would come out of the mirror to attack him. Spears also refused to go on family outings and became visibly uncomfortable whenever his mother left his sight. One expert attributed the symptoms to possible Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Both the family and the school board jointly stipulated that the school board was liable for the injury to Spears, and the matter went to trial on the issue of quantum meruit. The trial court ruled in favor of Spears and awarded the family $100,000 in general damages, $2,160 for future therapy, and $5,000 to each of the parents for loss of consortium. The school board appealed the damages to the Louisiana Court of Appeal, claiming that the trial court abused its discretion.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Gothard, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership