Ahmed Mohamed, the Irving teenager who made national news after he was suspended for bringing a clock to school, is seeking $15 million in damages from the city of Irving and the Irving school district.
Mohamed’s attorneys sent letters Monday to the city and the school district, claiming Mohamed’s “reputation in the global community is permanently scarred.”
“One also would anticipate that Ahmed, quite reasonably, will have a lifelong fear of the law enforcement and educational establishments that have let him down so terribly,” Plainview-based attorney Kelly D. Hollingsworth said in both letters.
Hollingsworth requested $10 million from the city of Irving and $5 million from the school district, and also demanded written apologies from the school district, Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne and Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd.
Mohamed was handcuffed and suspended from Irving MacArthur High School on Sept. 14 after administrators grew suspicious of a homemade clock he brought to class.
“He showed it to a teacher, and it was suspicious in nature,” Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd said in September. “The student told the teacher it was a clock, but he was not forthcoming with any other details about it.”
Mohamed was suspended three days, and later withdrew from the school. The high-profile nature of his case, though, led to an invitation to the White House from President Barack Obama, an interview on Good Morning America, and attention from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Hollingsworth alleged that Irving school district spokeswoman Lesley Weaver “repeatedly gave the media a false impression of events.” Hollingsworth’s letter to the city alleged that Irving officials chose to “trash Ahmed.”
Weaver said in a statement Monday that the school district’s attorneys “will review the information and respond as appropriate, as with any legal matter.”
Mohamed’s attorneys said it would give the school district and the city 60 days to meet the demands before filing a civil lawsuit.
Ryan Osborne: 817-390-7684, @RyanOsborneFWST