Public School District Ends 28-Year Class Action 

Under the yoke of a federal class-action lawsuit, a New York State public school district approached Hodgson Russ for help. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, involved systemic, district-wide special education compliance issues. Over the years, the district was required to expend a considerable time, particularly in the compliance review, and was also required to pay significant fees to the parents’ attorneys. A Hodgson Russ team anchored by Ryan Everhart negotiated a settlement with the plaintiffs’ attorneys. District Court Judge John T. Curtin ended the federal court’s jurisdiction over the district as well as any entitlement the plaintiffs’ attorneys had to the district’s student records and additional attorney’s fees.