Suit Settled over Shock Therapy Use at Massachusetts School

The family of a former Massachusetts student who received electric shock treatments at a special needs school has agreed to receive $65,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming the treatment was inhumane and violated his civil rights.

The privately operated Judge Rotenberg Center in suburban Canton uses the controversial treatment, known as aversive therapy, to control aggressive behavior and prevent severely autistic students from injuring themselves or others. A device administers the shocks in two-second intervals.

The lawsuit was filed in 2006 on behalf of Antwone Nicholson, then 17, of Freeport, N.Y., who attended the school for about four years. Nicholson’s mother, Evelyn, said she agreed to the settlement because it was “time to move on,” and she felt her legal battle had already helped change when and how the shocks are given.

In a statement, the school termed the settlement “minimal” and said its insurance company requested the case be settled for far less than the legal fees necessary to obtain a final dismissal. The suit initially sought millions of dollars in damages, the statement said, though Kenneth Mollins, the Nicholsons’ lawyer, said he could not recall any specific dollar amount being sought.

The residential school is believed to be the only one in the country that uses the therapy and has been a lightning rod for criticism over its 38-year history. Still, parents of many students say the treatment has been a successful last resort in preventing their severely autistic children from injuring themselves.