Two teenagers from California, previously expelled from a Catholic high school due to allegations of blackface, have been granted $1 million (approximately Rs 8 crore) and reimbursement for their tuition fees. Following a legal battle, a Santa Clara County court ruled in favour of the teens on two counts related to breach of oral contract and lack of due process. The legal battle began in August 2020 after photos of the boys wearing green acne treatment masks from 2017 surfaced online, which were misunderstood as blackface. Later, they were expelled from Saint Francis High School in Mountain View. The court supported the teens on certain claims, but they lost on three others, including breach of contract, defamation and free speech violation. The plaintiffs had filed a case three years after the incident, claiming that the masks were used for acne treatment, not intended to mock anyone.
The controversial selfie featured the boys wearing dark green acne masks, which were apparently misunderstood as blackface. However, a separate photo revealed that they had previously worn white masks as well. The case was filed during the same time when the Black Lives Matter protests were happening following the tragic death of George Floyd. As per reports, the teenagers had applied acne masks in support of their friend struggling with severe acne. However, they would have never imagined their gesture would lead to such consequences three years later.
According to Los Angeles Times, now that the court ruled in favour of the boys, referred to as AH and HH in the lawsuit, they will each receive $500,000 (approximately Rs 4 Crore) from the school. Additionally, they will also be reimbursed $70,000 (approximately Rs 58 lakh) for tuition fees.
An attorney representing the students, Krista Baughman said, “This case is significant not only for our clients but for its groundbreaking effect on all private high schools in California, which are now legally required to provide fair procedure to students before punishing or expelling them. The jury rightly confirmed that Saint Francis High School’s procedures were unfair to our clients and that the school is not above the law.”
Saint Francis High School’s representatives stated that while they respectfully disagree with the jury’s decision, they are considering additional legal options, including appealing the verdict. On the other hand, AH’s family thanked the jury and the court system for providing justice to their boys and families. They believe this verdict clears their names of allegations they never committed.
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