Texas family files lawsuit after soccer player stuffed peanuts in the locker of a player with allergies

us news

by Katherine Donlevy

A mother is suing a Texas school district after her son's former football teammate stuffed peanuts into his locker despite knowing he had a deadly allergy.

Shauna Mannone claimed that Austin's Lake Travis Independent School District failed to adequately address the October 2023 incident and did not stop the persistent harassment of her son Carter that followed.

“in spite of [Carter’s] Despite attempts to seek help from school authorities, LTISD was deliberately indifferent to the ongoing bullying, providing intervention, accommodations, and adequate supervision of students and staff as required by state law for students who commit assaults. “He failed to enforce the disciplinary action that was given to him,” the lawsuit said. April 6 in state federal court.

“Failure to address ongoing bullying is not just a violation; [Carter’s] Not only was he given a right, but he also risked his life. ”

Carter was not named in the civil suit, but was identified in extensive media coverage following the deranged attack.

The 16-year-old sophomore offensive lineman was the youngest player on the Lake Travis High School varsity football team.

Carter appears to have been targeted because of his age, and two teammates took advantage of him just one day after learning about his severe allergies, according to the suit.

Carter disclosed his symptoms on Oct. 5 when some of his friends suggested they go to Texas Roadhouse, but admitted he couldn't go because the restaurant was known to serve peanuts. .

The two boys, referred to in the lawsuit as “Student G and Student B,” were at fault for the severity of Carter's disability, including having peanuts thrown at him, being put in a locker, and being kept inside his uniform. He questioned whether there was a possibility of death in the case.

“[Carter] Answer candidly that any of these actions could actually lead to his death, and even
“Teammates carry an EpiPen at all times as a precaution,” the 30-page document states.

According to the complaint, this revelation inspired two high school students to begin their sinister plan within minutes of the conversation.

Students G and B “illegally” returned to the high school and poured cans of peanuts inside Carter's locker, on his uniform and into his football cleats, and recorded the vile act, the complaint alleges. There is.

The next day, when he arrived at school for an away game, Student G allegedly started throwing handfuls of nuts at Carter, which Carter was fortunate enough to avoid. During this time, Mr. Carter also heard his name and saw Student B laughing while showing a mysterious video to others on his cell phone.

But moments later, when he opened his locker door, he was doused with a lethal dose of peanuts.

“When he retrieved his uniform, he found that it, along with the spikes, was covered in peanuts, which caused an allergic reaction,” the complaint states. The boy ran to the bathroom to wash his hands and narrowly escaped anaphylactic shock, but suffered from “hives on his arms for several days.”

Over the next few weeks, Shauna Mannone met with school coaches and administrators and filed a complaint with the school board, but the two boys received no serious punishment for the assault. the complaint alleges.

LTISD disagreed with the lawsuit and maintained that it conducted due diligence during an internal investigation.

“We take all allegations of bullying and harassment seriously. When we learned of this situation, we took immediate action and conducted a thorough investigation,” the district said in a statement. “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority.”

The players were suspended for two soccer games, but the school district later ruled that the incident did not meet the “legal definition” of bullying.

Manon's lawyers say Student G, who argued that Manon was not punished because he was the team's star player, was encouraged by the lack of disciplinary action and continued to taunt Carter as untouchable for weeks afterward. .

“Undeterred by LTISD's lack of response, Student G continued to brag about what he called an 'attempted murder.' [Carter] he escalated his threatening verbal attacks on [Carter]boasts that he is a “murderer” and will prevail against any charges. [Carter] or their family members,” the complaint states.

The bullying targeting Carter intensified over the next few months and grew to affect the entire family. A series of anonymous social media pages targeted the Manon family, according to the complaint.

After failing to find any help from the school district and “enduring six months of assault, harassment, and bullying,” Carter finally decided to transfer to another school district last month to “get away from the harassment,” the statement said. The complaint states:

His family is also in the process of selling their home and moving outside of LTISD boundaries.