A student in Miami is suing his school “for targeting and discriminating against him for his Christian beliefs.”
The Dhillon Law Group, Inc. has announced the lawsuit against Mater Academy on behalf of Nicolas Ortiz, a 14-year-old student, as Fox News reported.
According to the law firm, Ortiz carries his Bible to school regularly to read during free time. The complaint claims Ortiz “has regularly been ostracized and targeted for his beliefs by fellow students, staff, and school administrators.”
The complaint alleges offices at the school violated the state’s law by ignoring Ortiz’s parent’s requests for investigations into the bullying of their son.
The law firm explained the complaint “shows examples of this harassment including students planning to physically assault him, a science teacher humiliating him for his faith in front of his peers in a classroom setting, and his peers creating false and defamatory statements claiming that he was planning a school shooting to disparage him.”
Our latest civil rights lawsuit, brought to you by Miami partner @MSarelson, schools litigation counsel @Karin_Sweigart — check it out! Miami Student Sues School for Discrimination for Christian Beliefs – Dhillon Law Group https://t.co/k9MER4P4t7
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) March 1, 2022
Dhillon Law Group managing partner, Harmeet K. Dhillon, said in a statement, “Mr. Ortiz is experiencing something that no American should ever have to experience.”
She added, “It’s bad enough that the school has done nothing to stop the bullying from his peers, but have gone as far as joining in on targeting Mr. Ortiz for simply practicing his faith. This is blatant violation of his first amendment rights is another example of how extreme so many in our education system have become, and why Dhillon Law Group is coming to Mr. Ortiz’s defense.”
The group noted Ortiz was handed a 10-day suspension for allegations that he threatened a school shooting.
“Imagine being falsely accused of threatening to shoot up a school. Law enforcement concluded that he was being pranked by fellow students, but that did not stop numerous parents from spreading the false accusation online,” Dhillon Law Group partner, Matthew Sarelson, said.
He continued, “The students who spread the false accusations against Mr. Ortiz were never disciplined in any way. Only Mr. Ortiz was suspended, without due process and for no valid reason.”
