Jury awards $8 million to former student punched by Seattle middle school teacher

According to KING 5, the verdict, reached Thursday after three days of deliberation and nearly a month of testimony in King County Superior Court in Seattle, held SPS responsible for the injuries suffered by Zakaria Sheikhibrahim, now 21.

The case stems from a January 2018 incident at Meany Middle School. During a dispute over a classroom rule about backpacks, then–13-year-old Sheikhibrahim was punched in the face by his math teacher, James Johnson, and thrown out of the classroom.

Jurors concluded that the district was liable for the harm Sheikhibrahim suffered and that SPS violated Washington’s nondiscrimination and equal educational opportunity laws by failing to provide him with an educational environment free of discrimination.

Sheikhibrahim is Muslim and of Somali descent, and his legal team argued that he was subjected to a hostile, discriminatory environment.

An audio recording submitted as evidence reportedly captured Johnson saying shortly after the incident: “I had a rough morning. I had to punch a student in the face. Well, if you put your hands on me, I'm going to kill you.”

Sheikhibrahim’s attorneys had asked the jury for between $76 million and $124 million in damages, arguing that the assault permanently altered the course of his life. The district’s attorneys countered that he should receive about $100,000 or less.

The jury ultimately settled on $8 million. With attorneys’ fees, the total payout could approach $10 million, according to one of Sheikhibrahim’s attorneys, Lara Hruska.

The trial judge is still considering a request from Sheikhibrahim’s legal team to establish court monitoring aimed at addressing systemic racism within Seattle Public Schools. Sheikhibrahim’s attorneys argued that the punch caused a traumatic brain injury and led to major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. They said these injuries dramatically altered his life trajectory and opportunities.

The Seattle Times reported that the lawsuit claimed that SPS not only failed to protect Sheikhibrahim, but also negligently hired and supervised Johnson, retained him despite multiple warnings and complaints, and allowed a hostile learning environment to persist, particularly for East African and Muslim students.

The district’s lawyers admitted early in the trial that Johnson hit Sheikhibrahim and that SPS failed to keep him safe. They also acknowledged negligent retention, training, and supervision of the teacher. However, they denied that the district was negligent in hiring Johnson or that it discriminated against Sheikhibrahim or East African students more broadly.

Sheikhibrahim’s attorneys argued that a proper background check in 2008, when SPS hired Johnson, would have revealed a prior reprimand from the Clover Park School District, where Johnson had pushed a student into a locker in 2004.

Testimony revealed conflicting views of Johnson’s behavior. One former student called him “playful” and “helpful,” and said he had never seen Johnson use racial slurs or treat East African or African students differently. Other students painted a starkly different picture, testifying that complaints about Johnson’s conduct started months before the 2018 assault.

Following the assault, Johnson received a five-day unpaid suspension. He was then reassigned to Washington Middle School.

Johnson remained employed by SPS until 2021. His departure came after a 2020 KUOW investigation aired audio of him admitting to punching a student, referring to the day he hit Sheikhibrahim, and revealed details of his prior discipline.

The KUOW investigation described a pattern in Seattle Public Schools of keeping educators who hurt or abuse students on the payroll and simply moving them to new roles or campuses instead of removing them from classrooms. Even when internal investigations substantiated serious misconduct, such as punching, shoving, or verbally abusing children, using racial slurs, or sexually harassing students, teachers often received short suspensions, written reprimands, or “last chance” agreements, then were reassigned to other schools or positions working directly with kids. In some cases, the district placed them on lengthy paid administrative leave and later negotiated settlement agreements that allowed them to resign in exchange for cleaning or softening their personnel files, making it harder for future employers to see the full scope of their behavior.

After that report, SPS launched its own investigation, which found that Johnson had used racial slurs, threatened students, and failed to disclose previous disciplinary actions.

In 2020, the district’s human resources department recommended firing Johnson. Instead, SPS and Johnson reached a settlement in 2021 that ended his employment. Under that agreement, he resigned, and his personnel file was cleared. Despite earlier warnings and concerns, he had been moved between schools rather than being removed from the classroom.

The $8 million verdict is among the largest recent payouts for Seattle Public Schools, though not the largest. In 2023, the district agreed to a $16 million out-of-court settlement with a former student who alleged she was sexually abused by two Garfield High School coaches.