Cretin-Derham Hall has reached a confidential settlement with a former student who was expelled over fears he was going to shoot classmates at the school.
The private St. Paul high school allowed senior David Deaver to graduate and receive a diploma but barred him from campus in February 2018.
That move came one week after a Parkland, Fla., school shooting that left 17 students and staff dead.
Cretin-Derham Hall spokeswoman Annie Broos said at the time that parents had called about “a perception that there might be a student who was threatening to have a gun, to do harm to other students.”
Classes were held anyway the next day, and school officials publicly downplayed the concerns as unsubstantiated rumor. However, they refused to reinstate Deaver after meeting with his parents weeks later.
Deaver sued the school in August 2018, alleging defamation and breach of his tuition contract.
The school said in a court filing that it had “received information which caused it to believe there was a significant threat to the safety of its students.”
But Judge Robyn Millenacker in March allowed the claims to move forward, rejecting the school’s motion for dismissal and writing that she hadn’t yet heard enough from the school to determine that they acted properly.
The case was dismissed this month after the parties reached a mediated settlement. Both sides on Wednesday declined to provide details of the agreement.
“Both parties were satisfied with the result,” said Deaver’s attorney, Phil Villaume.
Broos offered the following statement: “Cretin-Derham Hall is very satisfied with the recent settlement of the case and is pleased to have this issue resolved so both parties can move forward. We extend best wishes to David Deaver and his family.”