Nickles Goes After Another Special Ed Lawyer

Attorney General Peter J. Nickles isn't letting no federal judge get him down.

Nope, mere weeks after U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts threw down on him for pursing lawyer John A. Straus, Nickles announces today he is embarking on a similar effort against Fatmata Barrie and her employer, the Law Office of Christopher N. Anwah. Much like in Straus' case, the District is trying to recover attorneys' fees for litigation deemed "meritless."

In both instances, the controversy surrounds litigation involving special education in the District. Plaintiffs claim that the District provides unsuitable educations to some special-needs students, who are then entitled to an appropriate private education paid for by the city. The District protests that many of the claims are baseless and exploitative. Barrie could not be immediately reached for comment.

Furthermore, Nickles announced that the District is appealing Roberts' ruling last month, in which he wrote, "It is beyond ironic that D.C.'s Attorney General complains with great flourish about lawyers who help parents secure disabled children's rights when his client, DCPS, has been found repeatedly in this court to have violated children's rights under [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act]."