Judge: Pa. school district must pay $260,000 to family’s lawyer in laptop spying case

Judge: Pa. district must pay $260K in spying case

PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge says a suburban Philadelphia school district embroiled in a laptop spying scandal must pay a family’s lawyer about $260,000.

Lower Merion School District was ordered Monday to pay attorney Mark Haltzman for work done in a civil case involving allegations school officials improperly used webcam-enabled laptops to spy on students.

Senior U.S. District Judge Jan DuBois says Haltzman deserves to be paid for work he did that led to an injunction barring the district from secretly monitoring activity on school-provided laptops.

Haltzman represents Blake Robbins, who claims the district photographed him 400 times in a 15-day period last fall, sometimes as he slept or was half-dressed.

District officials say they are disappointed in the judge’s decision.

Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, www.philly.com