A Pinellas County father has taken legal action against the local school board, alleging negligence that led to his daughter’s injuries. Gerald Green filed a complaint on October 6, 2025, in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, against the Pinellas County School Board. The lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $50,000 for an incident involving his minor daughter at Osceola Middle School.
The case centers around an event on April 22, 2025, when J.G., a fourteen-year-old student at Osceola Middle School, was injured during a fight between other students while walking from the lunchroom to her next class. According to the complaint filed by Green’s attorneys from Tripp Law Firm, the school board failed in its duty to provide adequate supervision and ensure student safety. “The duty is operational, not discretionary,” the complaint states, emphasizing that such failure is not protected by sovereign immunity under Florida law.
Green alleges that this lack of supervision directly resulted in his daughter’s injuries and subsequent damages. The lawsuit outlines various consequences suffered by J.G., including bodily injury, permanent injury probabilities beyond scarring or disfigurement, significant loss of bodily function, disability, pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses for treatment of injuries, and potential loss of earning capacity.
The plaintiff’s legal team argues that the Pinellas County School Board had a clear obligation to supervise students adequately and prevent foreseeable incidents like student fights. Citing several precedents from Florida courts, they argue that certain types of student misbehavior are predictable and do not absolve schools from liability if proper supervision is lacking. They assert that whether the school board breached its duty of care is a matter for jury determination.
In response to these allegations, Gerald Green seeks judgment against the Pinellas County School Board for damages surpassing $50,000 plus costs and interest on liquidated damages. The relief sought includes compensation for physical injuries as well as emotional distress and financial losses related to medical expenses and diminished earning potential.
Representing Gerald Green is attorney Byron L. Kennedy III from Tripp Law Firm based in Seminole, Florida. The case has been assigned Case Number 25-005580-CI.
Source: 25005580CI_Gerald_Green_v_Pinellas_County_Complaint_Pinellas_County_Florida.pdf
