Lawsuit against Everett School District settled out of court

Two former Everett School District students, Claire Lueneburg and Sarah Eccleston, have settled their two-year-old First Amendment lawsuit with the district just as it was set to go to trial.

Each side is claiming victory, according to The (Everett) Herald.

Mitch Cogdill, an Everett lawyer who represented the two student editors, said the young journalists got what they wanted school administration review of material prior to publication but "not subject to (administration) approval."

"I feel like this pretty much gets us exactly what we wanted," Lueneburg said. "I think we have achieved everything and this is a victory for us."

Michael Patterson, the school district's Seattle attorney, disagrees.

"They absolutely lost," Patterson said. "This is total vindication for the Everett School District."

Who's right? It's unclear.

Although there aren't a lot of details in the story, the fact that both sides claim victory seems to indicate an ambiguity that is likely to set up students, advisers and administrators in that district for more headaches in the future.