Michigan prep tennis player awarded $30K in bullying lawsuit

A Michigan high school tennis player who claimed administrators ignored her complaints over bullying has been awarded a $30,000 settlement.

Carly Pratt, a tennis star at Portage Central High School, filed a lawsuit against the school more than a year ago, saying she was bullied by teammates and the school did nothing to stop it. Pratt said rumors started by teammates led school officials to search her belongings for drugs and alcohol, and they even subjected her to a breathalyzer before a match.

Pratt was eventually removed as a team captain and kicked off the program one week before the state tennis finals. A judge later ordered that she be reinstated.

From MLive.com:

In other conditions of the settlement, Portage Central High School Principal Eric Alburtus and former Portage Central High School Tennis Coach Peter Militzer will each provide a letter of reference detailing Carly Pratt’s goals and achievements while a student and player at Portage Central.

“Defendants have stated these letters shall be favorable to Carly Pratt,” the settlement document states.

In addition, should Carly decide to pursue her tennis career, Militzer will provide a letter of recommendation—provided Carly demonstrates a certain level of commitment to the sport spelled out in detail in the agreement.

MLive.com has a copy of the settlement agreement, which can be found here. To read the complete story, click here.