Nevada Family of Abused Autistic Son Awarded Nearly $1M

The family of an autistic student will receive $900,000 from the Clark County School District to settle claims the student was improperly restrained by a teacher’s aide during the 2011-12 school year.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that one federal and one state lawsuit were settled in the case of former Variety School teacher’s aide Lachelle James, who John and Dina Phipps accuse of abusing their then-11-year-old nonverbal son.

A three-member arbitration panel agreed the child was subject to multiple batteries and inappropriate physical restraint by the teacher’s aide.

James pleaded guilty in June 2014 to two counts of gross misdemeanor child abuse, neglect or endangerment and was sentenced to probation.