Judge approves $55K settlement in Pittsburgh anorexia bullying case over mother’s objection

Judge OKs $55K anorexia bullying settlement in Pa.

PITTSBURGH — A federal judge has approved letting Pittsburgh Public Schools pay $55,000 to settle what’s believed to be a first-of-its-kind lawsuit by a woman who claims her daughter was bullied into anorexia.

The woman, identified as “Mary V.” in court documents, and her daughter sued last August over harassment they say began when the girl was in sixth and seventh grade. The girl is now 15.

On Wednesday, the woman and her daughter told the judge they felt a settlement reached in May was “hurried.” The judge said it was binding.

The girl has since transferred to private school. Her mother says the settlement is especially unfair because the taunting students are eligible for scholarships offered only to city schools graduates.

In his petition to enforce the settlement, a school district attorney says officials “deny all liability.”