Ahmed “Clock Boy” Mohamed and his family say time is ticking on a $15 million demand before they file a lawsuit against the city of Irving, Texas, and its school district.
The City of Irving and Irving School District received a letter on Monday from the family’s attorneys. The Mohameds want $10 million from the city and $5 million from ISD over the Sept. 14 “suitcase clock” incident at MacArthur High School involving their son. The 14-year-old was temporarily detained by police and suspended for three days after his device drew the attention of school officials.
Lawyers for the family, which now lives in Qatar, say the teenager has “suffered severe psychological trauma” because of the experience. He was allegedly targeted by officials,”because of his race, national origin, and religion.”
“Ahmed will now forever be associated with bomb making wholly without basis. Many believe that Ahmed and his family are terrorists, similar to those responsible for the September 11th attacks on the Twin Towers. This characterization brings both short- and long-term challenges. In the short-term Ahmed fears for his physical safety after receiving many threatening emails,” lawyers with Laney & Bollinger wrote, WFAA 8 ABC reported Monday. “In the long-term, we adults should know that – despite Ahmed’s efforts to be strong, and to prove that he is ‘a good boy’ – he will continue for the rest of his days to experience pain and suffering.”
The city and ISD have 60 days to comply with the family’s demand before a lawsuit is filed.
“Ahmed never threatened anyone, never caused harm to anyone, and never intended to,” the letter said. “The only one who was hurt that day was Ahmed, and the damages he suffered were not because of oversight or incompetence. The school and city officials involved knew what they needed to do to protect Ahmed’s rights. They just decided not to do it.”
Mohamed battled through his alleged “severe psychological trauma” after the school suspension by going on a one-month world tour that included:
- Meeting with President Obama on the South Lawn of the White House at the astronomy event.
- An appearance with Dr. Oz.
- Meeting with Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide.
- Meeting with Turkey Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
- A visit to Mecca as an honored guest of Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
ISD spokeswoman Lesley Weaver said since September the school has proof its actions were justified, but juvenile records cannot be released without written consent by parents.
“If the family grants us written permission to release the information, we would be happy to provide additional facts to the media,” school district spokeswoman Lesley Weaver told reporters shortly after Obama invited the teenager to the White House Sept. 16, WND reported.
Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne told the Dallas Morning Herald Oct. 8 that Mohammad’s family was unresponsive to ISD’s requests.
“The family is ignoring the requests from the ISD,” Van Duyne told the newspaper.
City and district officials had no comment on the Laney & Bollinger letter when asked by Fox 4.
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Previous stories:
Ahmed the ‘clock boy’ honored by Time
Ahmed the ‘clock boy’ to leave U.S. for Qatar
Ahmed the ‘clock boy’ stargazes with Obama
Ahmed the ‘clock boy’ meets prez accused of genocide
Muslim ‘clock-boy’ dad pushes 9/11 conspiracy theories
Ahmed the ‘clock boy’ on celebrity tour in Saudi Arabia
‘Clock boy’ had ‘racked up weeks of suspensions’
‘Clock-boy’s’ sister was suspended for ‘bomb’ threat
Police don’t plan to re-check Ahmed’s strange ‘clock’
Bill Maher: Muslim teen’s clock looked ‘like a bomb’
Atheist Dawkins calls out Muslim clock-boy hoax
Authorities defend schoolboy’s ‘hoax-bomb’ arrest
Muslim boy’s ‘cool clock’ is a fraud, says expert
