Timeline is emerging for school's 'wangster' lawsuit

Though Supt. Karsten Anderson said an official trial date has not yet been set, a timeline for the Red Wing School District lawsuit involving former student Quera Pruitt is emerging.

Both parties met in St. Paul Thursday morning for a pretrial conference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey J. Keyes. It has been decided that the case will be ready for trial by March 1, 2013. The anticipated length of the trial is five days.

Pruitt, who is black, sued the district July 29, alleging that her rights under the Civil Rights Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act were violated when about 60 students participated in the non-school-sanctioned “wigger” or “wangster” day by dressing up in stereotypical black clothing.

Other details about the trial and case were also hammered out Thursday. Fact discovery must be completed by Oct. 1, 2012, and each side will be allowed no more than 50 document requests and 30 requests for admissions.

In addition, each side will be allowed to call up to three expert witnesses. Plaintiff Pruitt must disclose the identities of those witnesses by June 1; defendant Red Wing Schools will have until Aug. 1.

Keyes also ordered a settlement conference — in which both sides will discuss settling to avoid a trial — for April 2.

“All participants should plan on spending the entire day and evening, if necessary, at this settlement conference,” Keyes wrote in his order.

He stated that all lawyers who will be trying the case, as well as members of the school board and Pruitt’s mother, should attend the settlement conference.

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