Clock Boy Dismissed

From  Dallas News.com:
"Clock Boy Ahmed Mohamed's Lawsuit Against Irving ISD, City Dismissed"

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Irving ISD, the city of Irving and several individuals by the father of a teen who was arrested after bringing to school a homemade clock that was mistaken for a bomb.  The federal lawsuit had alleged that Ahmed Mohamed's civil rights were violated in September 2015 when Irving police officers took him into custody at MacArthur High School and charged him with making a "hoax bomb." The then-14-year-old was also suspended from school for three days.  The charge against Ahmed was later dropped. The boy and his family have since moved to Qatar. The suit, filed by Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed on behalf of his son, had asked for unspecified damages. It had been amended twice since it was initially filed in August 2016.   U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay on Tuesday ordered that the suit be "dismissed with prejudice" and that "all relief requested by plaintiff is denied." Lawyers for Ahmed Mohamed did not return calls for comment Wednesday. In a statement released Wednesday, the city of Irving said that it is "extremely pleased by the court's ruling, which supports the justifiable actions taken by the officers in the matter. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of all Irving residents and schoolchildren." Katie Long, the attorney for Irving ISD, said in an emailed statement that the district was "pleased the court had dismissed the case in its entirety" and that it had recognized that there was no basis to the claim that "Irving Independent School District or any employee discriminated against this student on the basis of race or religion." "The Court's Order confirms that there is no plausible claim that Irving ISD or its employees violated anyone's constitutional rights. Irving ISD is committed to the safety, well-being, and equality of all students," the statement said. Former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne took to Facebook after the boy's arrest to defend the actions of the school district and police, saying their daily work helped make Irving "one of the safest cities in the country."  Van Duyne, who now works in President Donald Trump's administration, later amended her post to acknowledge she would have been "very upset" if the same thing had happened to her own child.  Two months after Ahmed's arrest, the family's attorney sent letters to city and school officials that demanded they apologize and pay $15 million to stave off a lawsuit.   Ahmed's father filed a federal suit against Irving and Irving ISD a year after his son was arrested, alleging they had violated the boy's civil rights. That suit was dismissed in May 2017. The family refiled the suit, and that was dismissed Tuesday.   The family also filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Glenn Beck, his TV network, TheBlaze, Fox News and Van Duyne, claiming they had fostered hostility against the teen.  The suit sought up to $100,000 in damages as well as "nonmonetary relief" for comments made by Van Duyne and media personalities that the suit argued made the public think that members of the youngster's family were terrorists who staged the clock incident. "Ahmed Mohamed received not only hateful and vile comments, but threats of physical harm," the lawsuit read. "Comments made in response to the broadcast included angry and hostile reactions buying into the 'terrorist' label." Van Duyne was dismissed from the suit in January 2017. Claims against Fox were also dismissed. Beck and his network reached an undisclosed settlement with the family in October.  

^ It was clear from the start that this case (and the others) would be dismissed. The fact that it was "dismissed with prejudice" means it can not be re-opened or retried. ^

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/irving/2018/03/14/clockboy-ahmed-mohamed-lawsuit-irving-isd-city-dismissed