SIGN THE PETITION:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-fairfax-county-from-punishing-a-sexual-assault-survivor-with-250-000-in-court-costs
Fairfax County Public Schools — one of the richest school districts in America — is about to ask a federal judge to make a young woman who was sexually abused at age 12 pay $250,000 in court costs.
This survivor, now 26 and in law school, took her case to trial under Title IX to hold the school district accountable for failing to protect her and retaliating against her family. Her appeal is still pending — but FCPS wants to bankrupt her before appellate judges even decide whether her trial was fair.
The Survivor’s Story
“Kate” was repeatedly assaulted by older youths, including a student with a known history of misconduct at Rachel Carson Middle School. Despite a positive rape kit and complaints to administrators, she was removed from school and forced into homebound instruction while the perpetrator stayed.
Her case, at the urging of the National Women’s Law Center, prompted a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which forced FCPS into a Title IX settlement.
Yet systemic failures persisted, and since 2019 three principals have been criminally charged for failing to report abuse. Multiple other lawsuits, including those brought by public interest organizations like Public Justice, have proceeded. In fact, a federal judge in 2019 even sanctioned FCPS for violating the Title IX settlement above.
Kate fought back with a civil rights lawsuit, surviving multiple motions to dismiss and winning an appeal that protected her right to proceed under a pseudonym. After a six-week trial in 2024, she lost — but she is now appealing on questions of law that could shape Title IX precedent for the entire country.
FCPS’s Tactics and Spending
Instead of focusing on safety reforms, FCPS has spent over $14 million of taxpayer money paying outside lawyers, Sona Rewari, Ryan Bates, and Kevin Elliker, from K Street firm Hunton Andrews Kurth (formerly Hunton Williams, the predecessor to the firm that defended segregation public schools in Brown v. Board of Education) — to fight Kate.
Those lawyers even sought to compel invasive gynecological and anal exams, a move the National Women’s Law Center called “cruel and abusive.”
Now, FCPS is asking the court to stick Kate with $250,000 in costs. Courts are not required to award costs in civil rights cases — and often deny them where, as here:
- The plaintiff brought the case in good faith,
- The issues are close and of public importance, and
- The plaintiff is indigent.
Why This Matters
This isn’t about cost recovery — this is about punishment. It sends a message to every student: If you challenge the system, we will destroy you financially.
And it is completely unnecessary. FCPS has a $4 billion budget. Kate has no income, $50,000 in medical debt, and a baby on the way.
Take Action Now
Sign the petition and share it widely:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-fairfax-county-from-punishing-a-sexual-assault-survivor-with-250-000-in-court-costs
Contact your School Board member and tell them to withdraw the motion for costs.
Show up: The hearing is Sept. 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Alexandria before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Lindsey Vaala.
Bottom Line
Fairfax County has a choice: model decency and leadership — or double down on retaliation.
We must make sure they hear us. Sign. Share. Show up.
