Olympia School District fined $14,000

OLYMPIA — A Thurston County judge has ordered the Olympia School District to pay $14,000 for withholding a public record.

Superior Court Judge Paula Casey ruled in August that the district violated the Washington Public Records Act by failing to disclose a draft letter to an attorney during

litigation on behalf of the family of a 6-year-old girl who was molested by a school bus driver.

The Olympian reported that the judge ordered the district Wednesday to pay the money to Tacoma lawyer Darrell Cochran. He is seeking $2.25 million from the district for the family of the 6-year-old.

District spokesman Ryan Betz said Thursday that the district mistakenly did not include the draft letter among the 544 pages originally provided to Cochran after he filed a lawsuit.

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