Posted on 05/10/2005 5:39:21 PM PDT by Cagey
Mononucleosis, the class was told, is a disease that "whores" get.
Former students at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School say that was part of a lesson given by a teacher who disclosed a student's case of mono and explained it was spread by "sexually active girls."
Now, the target of those comments -- 2004 graduate Rebecca Alvarado -- has filed suit against two teachers, the dean and principal at the all-girls Chicago Catholic school, claiming her privacy was violated and her reputation damaged.
The lawsuit, recently filed in Cook County Circuit Court, seeks in excess of $450,000.
Alvarado claims English teacher Judy Neary drove rumors that Alvarado had a disease "whores" get. She also names math teacher Nancy Vandertuuk and dean Carolyn McGovern in her complaint.
School's lawyer vows fight
Alvarado, who was hospitalized in March 2004 and missed a month of school because of mononucleosis, hepatitis, jaundice and dehydration, provided student affidavits claiming teachers drove rumors of her illness. She said she doesn't know how she got mono.
"People were saying I was a slut because of this," Alvarado said. "Everyone was staring at me like I was a freak. And when I was walking in the hallway, they'd point at me and laugh or say 'There she is. That's her.' It was terrible."
Sister Rose Wiorek, Mother McAuley's principal, said she wasn't aware of anybody on her staff discussing Alvarado's illness with students. John Coleman, an attorney representing the school, said, "We'll contest this in every fashion."
Alvarado's mother, Maricela Herrada, said she called McGovern to explain her daughter's illness.
'What they did was wrong'
An hour later, the suit says, Vandertuuk asked a class to pray for Alvarado, describing her illness and where she was hospitalized.
An hour after that, the suit said, Neary led a class discussion about Alvarado, telling them the "number one" group to get mononucleosis was "sexually active girls."
When a student asked if "whores" get that disease, the lawsuit claims that Neary replied, "Yes."
More classes heard the same lecture from Neary, it says, including a discussion about whom Alvarado was friends with and sleeping with.
"Students from several grades were now discussing and gossiping about Rebecca," the lawsuit says, "claiming she was easy, sleeping around, a slut, and were writing in bathroom stalls that she possessed sexually transmitted diseases."
Herrada said it had a negative impact on her daughter's grades and confidence, breaking down as she said, "What they did was wrong."
"To make a student feel like she's a whore? That she has no values?" she asked. "No one should have to go through what she did."
I think somethings might have changed though.
I can't speak fo the Army but the Marine Corps had a big problem with intel and they integrated their training with the Navy. The Navy was my service but I am not trying to be GO-NAVY on you.
Of course the reason they switched was Naval INtel had superior tactics. It sounds like you are talking about a strategic problem. Hell, big groups always take time to adjust but I have to admit that your story strains my confidence in the top brass of the Army, but I hope they are getting better.
Arioch7 out.
I came down with adult mononucleosis when I was 26 and in grad school. Almost killed me, was misdiagnosed and then my liver and spleen shut down. Was in the hospital for a week, spent the next month recovering. Had a cholesterol count over 1000 for a few days.
Ignorance is truly ugly.
They have gotten much better I am happy to report--that's why I caveated it by saying I went in '91. :)
I had it at 26.Almost died too.Had a 104 degree fever for days and had to go to the hospital for a spinal tap.I remember my parents had to peel the soaking wet night clothes off of me twice a night for a week.
Back then I had let my body wear down totally-late nights,drinking,bad food,etc.After that I started on vitamins and better food and it has made all the difference.
You equate a college professor calling you a conservative with a teacher calling a high school girl a whore and talking about who she slept with? You feel *you* were more maligned? LOL
Just had my most recent relapse two months ago, and I'm still not fully 'there' again. It's a wretched disease and a form of herpes. Ugh. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
HolgerDansk, this is addressed to you. Look, I am not saying what the teacher did was OK. However, if I got Mono right now and people started calling me a whore (I am a male so this is not likely.) I would laugh in their face.
If my sister got mono and someone told me she was a slut, I would tell them to shut up or I would slap them upside the head. It wouldn't cross my mind to sue them.
What makes so many Americans think that gossip should be a government matter? I know slander and libel are illegal but do we really want to target gossip with lawsuits. Our society has become so sissified and everyone is encouraged to sue if their feelings are hurt.
That's about all I have on this subject.
Arioch7 out!
I got it at 16- also NOT from kissing. It was a pretty bad bug. Not only did I flunk all my classes automatically for going over the maximum amount of six days, but it really took me about a year or so to really get over it (also had some relapses.)
I got mono when I was 38 years old. I had 4 kids and I swear I got it when I took one of the kids to the pediatrician. I got it right after a kid visit.
I was so sick I had to crawl up the stairs on my hands and knees three weeks after I came down with it. I had an enlarged lymph node that stayed that way and then of course they ran all the tests to see if I had cancer or something. Scared me to death.
This teacher is an idiot.
As I said, if people gossip and call someone a whore, they will not be offended if they are not one. For instance, my friends know I am a real honest guy. If someone spread rumors about my integrity, my friends would laugh it off and probably defend me quite a bit.
When the Prof did his branding of me during that semester, I was loathed to an extreme that was tantamount to many of them almost wanting me dead. They would call me a racist and a woman hater and would say I wanted to bring back slavery and enslave women. It got so bad this prof actually stepped in and told them that I didn't say any of those things and they shouldn't attack me so much.
Every day I was directly attacked and not in a debate type manner, but out of pure seething hatred.The funny part is I only mentioned how I liked small government and was a Conservative.
So yeah, I equate my situation with hers. As a matter of fact, I think it was much worse. Did she spend half the day with EVERYONE hissing at her and calling her whore? Did people threaten her for months on end with violence and express their desire to see her DIE? Did they call for her arrest and imprisonment for months on end? Did they scream at her and walk out of class when she didn't even SAY anything?
I'll stop giving examples as they are too numerous to list. The Commie Prof was actually a pretty good guy and gave me an A- on all of my political courses but the minus was given just because I was right-wing. I wrote the stuff they wanted for the most part but sometimes I couldn't help myself.
This girl would be insane if she had to deal with what I went through in Massachusetts. So what do I deserve, 1 million?
I have already said that the teachers are in the wrong. I just can't support a lawsuit against gossip. This can be handled on a lower level by the people involved, or do we have to go to the courts for EVERYTHING? That was a rhetorical question because it seems we do. Even on a Conservative website, almost everyone seems to feel she should sue.
I don't.
Arioch7 out!
All she has to do it produce witnesses and get affidavits, she does that, she'll be getting big cash, not dimes.
One teacher versus a buch of students. The kid will win.
And Slander is a civil offence.
If you think the law is BS and there should be no penalty, then say so, but if she's not a whore and the teacher is guilty, then good ole teach broke the law, and yes, this is the perfect case for a civil suit.
If this doesn't fit justification for a civil suit, then nothing does, and the arguement should be that the law needs to go.
Have fun then.
For the record, I had teachers gossip about me in high school, and thankfully, some other teachers set the record straight.
I found out after the fact, but the damage could have hurt my grades, it was also pretty stupid.
The gossip basically claimed that I was actually a criminal commiting some serious crimes. I would have had grounds for a lawsuit, but, chose not to.
Its an assumption she is.
Even if she was the worst whore on the face of the earth, its pretty safe to say she would deny it.
Either way, how many high school kids do you know have to go around saying they are not whores because of a rumor a teacher started and should they really have to keep denying it?
I don't think the slander laws are bad, they are neccesary. I am talking about societal norms here. If you don't notice the increase in litigation for trivial matters that occur in this country then I am sure you would support an expensive lawsuit like this one.
I knew a girl from High School who became a stripper and unfortunately I saw her in a strip-club in my younger days. I am sure she had gossip about her as well. She as 18 but do children need legal protection from gossip under age 18?
The Slander laws were meant to counter bald face lies about citizens, not to protect them from gossip. If this case develops into a ruling for her, expect hundreds of thousands of people suing for being unfairly portrayed by gossip.
Since that is ALL of us, it should be very interesting to witness.
Arioch7 out.
I get sued on a more then average basis, hell, I've even been sued by a burgler.
She as 18 but do children need legal protection from gossip under age 18?
Is it your position that under the age of 18 deserves absolutly no protection from slander laws?
If this was kid gossip, I'd probably say toss it, but this was done by a teacher to the students, with full knowledge of the harm that it would ensue. Is there any example of when a child could sue for slander? Even hypothetical? If she was a guy instead and a teacher claimed he was a rapist, would that be enough of a standard? I fail to see how having a rumor spread by a teacher that maligns somone, especially this vicious, by an authority (which implicity gave it credibility) would fail to meet the standard for litigation.
If this can not meet, then no child anywhere, can ever sue for slander for any reason.
The Slander laws were meant to counter bald face lies about citizens, not to protect them from gossip.
The burden will be on this child to prove that she's not a whore. If the teacher called her a whore, or led the class to believe she was, its a bold face lie. Its no different from telling the class, that this girl is also a pervert and/or a child molester if its untrue.
As a note, I do draw a difference between gossip and false statements. Gossip can be true, it can also be and often is rumors mangled along the way, they often do contain some elements of truth, but a total false statement, and this girl is going to sue claiming that, is liable.
And if somone sued me for lying about them, and doing so, knowing the harm it would cause, and damage, they would have the right to sue me, if they know I lied intentionally for the effect.
Let the court figure out if this was a case of intent or not, but the it looks like this little kid is going to say good ole teach lied.
Why should this girl have to deny the charges? To whom does she owe a denial?
I've heard it called "The Kissing Disease" before. Never have I heard someone say that it's "The Whores Disease". LOL!
I only know of one person to have ever gotten mono, she was in my senior class. And trust me, no one was sleeping with her LOL!
Sleeping has always been just about my favorite pasttime, and I have had insomnia since single-digit childhood. Having mono was like a really good dream that went on and on.
I am another person who is shocked that so many here have already convicted the teacher as guilty. Newsflash: Children make up stories and gossip, and sometimes they do it in a conspiratorial fashion. If the teacher was in a public school, she would already be fired just based on hearsay, but hopefully the Catholic schools and the courts have a bit more sense.
Gol'darned gubmint skools...oh, wait...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.