Thomas v. Bedford

Fourteen-year-old Joseph Goff lightly hit teacher Carter Bedford (defendant) in the back and, when told to go to class, shot Bedford in the face with a rubber band and ran off; Bedford threw a board at him that missed, then returned to his classroom. About 15 minutes later, Bedford pulled Goff into an empty adjacent room and hit him three to four times, bruising his chest, arms, and back. Goff's mother, Anna Thomas (plaintiff), sued Bedford and the school district for battery; the trial court found Bedford's punishment greatly exceeded reasonable force but dismissed the suit anyway, reasoning that because corporal punishment was legal in Louisiana, teachers were immune from liability for administering it, and Thomas appealed.