Tuesday, January 02, 2007

It pays to rap

PITTSBURGH — It's said the pen is mightier than the sword. And it can also hold its own pretty well against the law. A teenager who sued his school district after being expelled for writing violent rap songs has settled with two townships over the charges against him.

Fourteen-year-old Anthony Latour, who was taken out of his middle school in handcuffs, has reached a $60,000 settlement with the North Sewickley and Franklin townships. He had been charged with terroristic threats and other counts — all based on his lyrics.

A federal judge overturned the expulsion in August of 2005, ruling that the rap songs contained images of violence but did not amount to true threats against the school. Latour also reached a settlement for $90,000 with the Riverside Beaver County School District in November.

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