Nguon v. Wolf
What's at Stake
The ACLU’s national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project, the ACLU of Southern California, and the law firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP, brought a lawsuit on behalf of Nguon and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network in September of 2005. The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, seeks to clear Nguon of any unfair discipline on her record and create a district-wide policy and guidelines to ensure that gay and lesbian students are treated equally.
Summary
Charlene Nguon, 17, is a senior at Santiago High School in Orange County, California. Until last year, she was a straight-A student with a spotless disciplinary record. But throughout the 2004-2005 school year, her high school repeatedly singled her out for discipline (including a one-week suspension), revealed Nguon’s sexual orientation to her family without the student’s permission, and forced her to transfer to another school in the middle of the second semester. What was Charlene’s big offense? She occasionally showed affection towards her girlfriend – even though heterosexual students are routinely allowed to hold hands, hug, and kiss on campus.
Status: Loss. The Court ruled that Charlene's rights under the Equal Protection Clause and the First Amendment were not violated, and also ruled that her privacy rights under the California Constitution were not violated.
Legal Documents
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12/01/2005
Nguon v. Wolf - Judge's Order Regarding Motion to Dismiss
Date Filed: 12/01/2005
Affiliate: Southern California
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11/28/2005
Nguon v. Wolf - Plaintiff's Brief Opposing Defendants' Motion to Dismiss
Date Filed: 11/28/2005
Affiliate: Southern California
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10/16/2006
Nguon v. Wolf – Plaintiff’s Brief Re: Federal Constitutional Privacy Rights
Date Filed: 10/16/2006
Affiliate: Southern California
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10/02/2006
Nguon v. Wolf - Plaintiff's Sur-Reply to Motion for Summary Judgment Motion
Date Filed: 10/02/2006
Affiliate: Southern California
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09/25/2007
Nguon v. Wolf - Decision, U.S. District Court
Date Filed: 09/25/2007
Affiliate: Southern California
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09/25/2006
Nguon v. Wolf - Plaintiff's Brief Opposing Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgement
Date Filed: 09/25/2006
Affiliate: Southern California
Press Releases
Trial for Orange County Teen 'Outed' by Principal Concludes
ACLU/SC and OC High School Students File Suit to Stop District's Unequal Treatment of Gay and Lesbian Students
Federal Judge Rules That High Schools Cannot Out Lesbian and Gay Students