Wichita district settles teacher rape lawsuit

? The Wichita school district has settled a lawsuit filed by the victim of a middle school teacher convicted last year of raping and fondling her in 1997.

Supt. Winston Brooks said the district settled the suit for $365,000, with insurance covering all but $30,000 of the settlement.

The district also spent $70,000 in lawyer fees and for expert witnesses to prepare for the case. The district had to meet a $100,000 deductible before the insurance company paid.

The district did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement reached last month, said Wendy Johnson, district spokeswoman.

In the lawsuit, the victim — who was 14 at the time and is now 20 — alleged that the district failed to properly supervise teacher Earnest Overton and ignored earlier complaints about his behavior.

Brooks said the district immediately pulled Overton from the classroom when allegations about his behavior surfaced.

A Sedgwick County jury last year found Overton guilty of one count each of rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw sentenced Overton to 15 years and four months in prison.

The victim was one of Overton’s students at Truesdell Middle School and a baby sitter for his children in 1996. The student testified that Overton fondled her in a classroom and raped her at his home.