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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Cheerleaders Sue School Over Topless Pictures

SEATTLE (CN) - Two high school cheerleaders say they were unfairly kicked off the squad after the football team circulated topless pictures of them, but none of the football players were punished. The cheerleaders say their private photos were swiped from their cell phones.

Football team members who viewed the pictures were not disciplined and school administrators failed to report the distribution of "child pornography," the girls' parents say in two complaints in King County Court.

The parents say Northshore School District administrators claimed the girls violated Bothell High School's "Student Athletic Code," but the code does not prohibit posing for topless photos in the privacy of their homes.

The girls were both suspended from the team for one year, but the football team members were told to "delete the photographs" and were not punished, the complaint states.

The parents also say that school administrators should have notified the police about the photographs because the girls were minors, and that they showed the photos to other adults without consent or authority.

The plaintiffs seek damages for sexual discrimination, privacy violation, emotional distress, outrage, and sexual exploitation of children.

The plaintiffs are represented by Wershow & Ritter.

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