Legal Update: Cabot Schools’ Insurance Settles 7-Year Lawsuit Over 2018 High School Safety Concern

After seven years, the Cabot School District allowed its insurance company to settle a lawsuit filed by two former students, Kameron and Noah Evans, over an incident that took place in February 2018. The $125,000 settlement comes at no cost to the District.  The controversy began on February 13, 2018, when the students, both juniors at Cabot High School, wore military-style tactical vests under large coats and carried a duffle bag containing airsoft pellets to school. This was the same day students were being educated on how to respond to a school shooting, amid multiple mass school shootings nationwide. The students’ attire, which resembled that of school shooters at the time, prompted fear among their peers at Cabot High School, leading to staff being alerted.

The two students were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, and both were suspended for five days. However, the situation escalated later that evening when Kameron Evans sent threatening messages to a student, saying, “I am going to kill somebody.” The threat was reported, and Kameron was to be reassigned to an alternative learning school after his suspension ended. Neither student was convicted of a crime, but they sued the District and the City of Cabot in July 2019. The lawsuit has been in litigation ever since with the primary issue being unlawful arrest.  

Recently, the District’s insurance company, which has been covering the high legal costs of this case, notified the District that it sought to end the lawsuit and would pay a settlement and remaining legal fees. If not, the District itself would risk needing to pay the remainder of their legal fees and for any potential post-trial appeal.  It was also anticipated that an appeal could potentially extend the case for several more years. 

Though the District stands by its actions in this matter, it became a simple business decision to close the drawn-out case. The District admitted no fault and agreed to allow the insurance company to settle the lawsuit and pay its remaining legal fees, all at no expense to the District. The insurance companies contributed $125,000 from the District’s policy and $75,000 from the City of Cabot’s separate policy.

While the settlement primarily covers the students’ legal fees from the lawsuit, the long-standing case has finally come to a close, putting an end to a seven-year legal dispute.

Article: The Arkansas Leader - February 19, 2025