Jury Finds School District Wasn’t to Blame in Death

The Palmdale School District’s negligence did not contribute to the death of a 13-year-old boy during a fistfight on campus in 1999, a Van Nuys jury found Tuesday.

The panel of 10 men and two women deliberated less than a day before reaching the verdict.

Mary Corson had sued the district, alleging that lack of adult supervision had contributed to the death of her son Stephan from injuries suffered in the fight.

In an unusual split decision, jurors found that the school district had been negligent in not better supervising the students at Juniper Intermediate School as they prepared to leave campus for the day. Yet the panel determined that the negligence had not contributed to Stephan’s death, and did not award any money to his mother.

Mary Corson’s attorney, Melanie E. Lomax, said she would ask Superior Court Judge Richard A. Adler for a new trial.

Witnesses testified that Stephan Corson started the fight with a 14-year-old after the other boy allegedly threw paper at him in class.

Lomax said their teacher should have noticed the tension between the boys and accompanied them outside at the end of school, when the fight occurred. The district said another teacher responded quickly and tried to end the fight.

Corson hit his chin on the pavement, causing a spinal cord injury, Lomax said. He died 40 minutes later. Lomax said that, if not granted a new trial, she will appeal.