| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Former student sues for losing in SoCal cheerleader tryouts
Friday June 20, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) A former student of Puerto Rican descent has taken her case to federal court, claiming the Antelope Valley Union High School district violated her civil rights when she was rejected at cheerleader tryouts.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court by former Quartz Hill High School student Kelly Smith, who contends that cheerleading coach Tammy Stewart, motivated by racial bias, rigged her scores during the 2002 tryouts. Smith is seeking unspecified damages from Stewart and other school district employees.
A lawsuit was filed in Superior Court but it was withdrawn in May, said a paralegal for Smith's attorney. A telephone message left before business hours Friday for her attorney, Thomas P. Hanrahan, was not returned.
A call to school district offices before business hours was answered by a recording that offices were closed.
Stewart's attorney did not return a call seeking comment, however, Stewart has denied any wrongdoing.
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