Articles by Ben Finley

$40M Lawsuit by Virginia Teacher Shot by Student Can Proceed

A teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in Virginia can press forward with her $40 million lawsuit against a school system over claims of negligence by school administrators, a judge has ruled. The surprise decision by Newport News …

Judge Rules Virginia Teacher Shot by Student Can Proceed with $40 Million Lawsuit

A teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in Virginia can press forward with her $40 million lawsuit against a school system over claims of negligence by school administrators, a judge ruled Friday. The surprise decision by Newport News …

Lawyers Argue Over Workers’ Compensation for Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old

Lawyers sparred in a Virginia courtroom Friday over whether a teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student should get only workers` compensation for her serious injuries. Abby Zwerner is suing Newport News Public Schools for $40 million, alleging gross …

Suit by Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student Asks If Workers’ Compensation Is Enough

A heated debate has emerged about the once-unimaginable shooting of a teacher by her 6-year-old student: How should the school district take care of the teacher? Should she only get workers’ compensation for her serious physical injuries? Or does she …

Report on Virginia Beach Mass Shooting Stresses Training for Police, Fund for Victims

A state commission has called for numerous changes to how Virginia and its communities respond to mass shootings, from establishing a victims` fund to teaching people how to slow bleeding before paramedics arrive. But the panel`s final report on a …

Worker Warned Organizer `Someone’s Going to End Up Dead` Before Crowd Surge at Astroworld

HOUSTON (AP) – Just moments before rap superstar Travis Scott took the stage at the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, a contract worker had been so worried about what might happen after seeing people getting crushed that he texted an event …

Soldier Denied New Trial to Sue Police Over Violent Stop

A U.S. Army soldier won’t get a new trial for his lawsuit against two police officers after he was pepper- sprayed, struck and handcuffed during a traffic stop in rural Virginia, a federal judge has ruled. Video of the incident …

Parents and Schools Face Increase Scrutiny After Shootings

In many school shootings, the person who pulled the trigger – often a current or former student – is the only one blamed for the crime. But the arrest last week of a mother, whose 6-year-old son shot his teacher, …

Mother of 6-Year-Old Who Shot Teacher Indicted

A grand jury in Virginia has indicted the mother of a 6- year-old boy who shot his teacher on charges of child neglect and failing to secure her handgun in the family’s home, a prosecutor said Monday. A grand jury …

Parents in Virginia Where 6-Year-Old Shot Teacher Plan to Sue School System

The families of two students at a Newport News, Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old shot and wounded his teacher have filed notices of potential legal action against the school system over trauma they say the shooting inflicted on their …