Boy Beaten with Belts Wins $750,000 Settlement from Chicago Public Schools

Boy Beaten with Belts Wins $750,000 Settlement from Chicago Public Schools
Image Via: CBS News

A federal jury on Wednesday found the Chicago Public Schools liable for the fourth-grader’s belt whipping at the school, and the district was awarded a $750,000 verdict.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs announced the decision on Wednesday. The amount was not as much as the lawyers had demanded.

The amount awarded does not cover legal fees. Over the past ten days, a judge in U.S. District Court has been hearing the civil action trial. Jomaury Champ, who was nine years old at the time of the attack, claimed he had emotional damage in addition to back welts from the assault.

CPS was accused of letting an estranged aunt, who Jomaury said he didn’t know, into the school without permission and discipline him physically for misbehaving in class.

In 2018, Jomaury told investigators, “The lady told me to pull down my pants, but I didn’t.” “So she got mad, and she started whacking me with the two belts… [on] my legs and my back.”

When the CBS News Chicago Investigators first spoke with Jomaury, he was nine years old. At George W. Tilton Elementary School, located at 223 N. Keeler Ave. on the West Side of Chicago, he had just been subjected to a belt beating outside his classroom in the school lavatory.

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According to Jomaury’s family, the aunt and his instructor, Kristen Haynes, were friends. According to the aunt’s family, Haynes gave the belts to her because Jomaury had been misbehaving in class.

Juanita Tyler, the estranged aunt, was found guilty of a crime for her involvement in the belt beating.

Reference

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With more than two years of expertise in news and analysis, Eileen Stewart is a seasoned reporter. Eileen is a respected voice in this field, well-known for her sharp reporting and insightful analysis. Her writing covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to culture and more.