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Society
Teacher Marion V. at an earlier court proceeding in May. Photo: DPA

Court rejects teacher's suit against student for 'rabbit terrorism'

Published: 20 Jul 10 13:34 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100720-28625.html

A German court on Tuesday threw out the case of a schoolteacher against a pupil who allegedly tormented her by scrawling pictures of rabbits on the blackboard to aggravate her rabbit phobia.


The court in Vechta, northern Germany declined to hear the complaint by the 60-year-old geography teacher, who was seeking an injunction against the 16-year-old girl to stop her from making the drawings or spreading rumours that the plaintiff had a paralysing fear of rabbits.

Chief Judge Hermann Pieper did not give a reason for the ruling, but said the case was business as usual. The teacher, who did not appear in court, has the option to appeal.

Witnesses had told the judge that the teacher ran sobbing out of the classroom when she saw the image of a rabbit on the blackboard. The girl denied making the drawings.

Two years ago at another school, the teacher took a pupil to court in a similar case and reached a settlement in which the teenager agreed never again to claim that the plaintiff "freaked out" when she saw a rabbit or heard the word.

Kim Pohl, the student involved in Tuesday’s verdict, had also attended the teacher’s previous school around the time of that incident.

Her mother Corinna Pohl said she was relieved with the court’s decision, saying the girl had suffered “psychological stress” over the case. She added that she could not believe the case had been allowed to go so far.

Judge Pieper said that while the case may seem curious to outsiders, “mobbing and strife in the schools” were frequently brought before the court.

AFP/DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

15:17 July 20, 2010 by auniquecorn
She kinda resembles Elmer Fud
20:10 July 20, 2010 by vonSchwerin
Well, this does give new meaning to the expression "Angsthase".
22:56 July 20, 2010 by cocovelvet
Are u kidding me ??!! Someone getting fregthened from a mere drawing of a rabbit on a chalkboard ??!! I would probably understand if the student brought into the class a real life rabbit ..... anyway, rabbits are such sweet animals. I would run bonkers from a sight of a lion, not a rabbit.....
23:41 July 20, 2010 by Jasmine33
I've never heard of anyone having a phobia about rabbits, but we all have something we feel a little more afraid of than other things. Perhaps when the teacher was a little girl she dreamed she was a carrot, and well, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . you know how much rabbits like carrots.
05:00 July 21, 2010 by Johnny Kutz
Please, someone send her a copy of Johnny Darko - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/
06:39 July 21, 2010 by snorge
This woman needs to get some other job. Teenagers by nature are like this and she can't go around taking kids to court because she is being victimized. Glad to hear the court threw the case out.

She should get some psychological help. Who the hell is scared of rabbits at the age of 60?
14:15 July 21, 2010 by moistvelvet
Being scared of rabbits isn't the issue, it is her reaction to the teenager's reported behaviour. Does she really think the best way to stop school kids drawing pictures of rabbits or to stop rumours of her phobia is to highlight her phobia and take her to court? I wouldn't be surprised if every cheeky school kid is doing it now. Obviously she needs some help, but not just with rabbits.
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