Federal Judge Dismisses ‘Clock Boy’ Lawsuit

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the father of a boy arrested after taking a homemade clock to his school. At the time of the incident, officials claimed that the device appeared to be an explosive.

Mohamed Mohamed, who’s family is Muslim, was suing the city of Irving and its school district, alleging his son’s civil rights were violated.

Back in February, The mayor of Irving was dropped as a defendant from a lawsuit filed by Mohamed.

Mohamed’s attorney, Susan Hutchison, said Mayor Beth Van Duyne in her capacity as a public official was afforded immunity in the matter.

The original suit claimed Van Duyne and others were libelous in their statements about Ahmed Mohamed after he brought the clock to school in 2015.

A charge of having a hoax bomb was dropped.

“These acts by the authorities show blatant disregard for the civil rights of this American,” said attorney Susan Hutchison in a statement back in August.

The teenager from Irving was arrested in September of 2015 after bringing a homemade clock to Irving MacArthur High School. Police officers put then 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed into handcuffs and walked him out of the school when his clock was mistaken for a bomb.

The story — including pictures of the incident — quickly gained worldwide attention. While many people on social media were quick to show support for Mohamed, the high school freshman and his family also received several violent threats. That forced the family to move overseas so that the teen could study in Qatar. “I get a lot of hate,” Mohamed stated in August. “I got a lot of support in the beginning, but it’s the hate that sticks.”

According to court records, the family has until June 1st to file an amended complaint. The case was dismissed on May 18.