2 Teens Get $185K, Lawyer Gets $425K in School Webcam Spy Case
The school board of a suburban Philadelphia district has agreed to pay $610,000 to settle a suit by two students who say they were spied upon in their own homes via district-issued laptop computers equipped with webcams.
Of that total, $175,000 will be put in trust for the student who originally brought suit, Blake Robbins, and another $10,000 will go to Jalil Hasan, who has already graduated from Lower Merion High School, reports the Philadelphia Daily News.
Another $425,000 will go to attorney Mark Haltzman, who represented both families.
The district has admitted that it remotely activated webcams that took photographs in students’ homes, but said there was no intentional wrongdoing.
“We believe this settlement enables us to move forward in a way that is most sensitive to our students, taxpayers and the entire school district community,” says a written statement by David Ebby, who serves as president of the school board.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Student Warned Defendant School Dist. in ‘08 of Potential Webcam Privacy Peril”
ABAJournal.com: “Ballard Spahr Bill Near $750K in Ongoing School Laptop Webcam Case”
ABAJournal.com: “No Criminal Charges in Case Over School District’s Alleged Webcam Spying on Students
