Lawsuit Filed Over Albuquerque High School Sword Fight Incident

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A lawsuit has been filed nearly two years after a young girl was injured during a sword fight in her classroom at Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 23 by the teenage girl’s grandparents who are her permanent guardians, alleges that the student, identified only as N.S., had her nerves and tendons cut with a sword during the incident that took place on May 2, 2022.

According to reports by various news outlets, including CBS News and NBC News, the student sustained permanent damage in her wrist from the incident, which required her to undergo surgery.

The lawsuit details that one of the swords used in the fight was a katana-style sword with a long, curved blade and sharp edge, while the other was a rapier-style sword.

Jessica Hernandez, one of the student’s attorneys, stated that “D.M. struck N.S. across her right forearm, wrist, and hand with the katana-style sword, resulting in a large and deep laceration that is inconsistent with a ‘prop’ sword.”

Albuquerque Public Schools, Assistant Principal Manuel Alzaga, and former chemistry teacher Loviata Mitchell have been named as defendants in the lawsuit, with allegations that the teacher brought out the swords in the classroom and instructed students to engage in a fight.

The incident reportedly occurred after the teacher announced a “surprise” to the students, which led to the sword fight. Cell phone videos captured some of the students participating in the fight.

Attorney Hernandez expressed shock at the teacher’s actions, stating, “We don’t know what was going through her mind. We had no idea what would cause a teacher to think this was a good idea.”

The lawsuit claims that Mitchell is no longer a teacher at the high school, as reported by CBS News.

In a statement, Hernandez emphasized that the teacher and Albuquerque Public Schools “actively put [the student] in harm’s way” and created a dangerous situation by allowing students to handle deadly weapons.

The lawsuit seeks justice for the student and holds the defendants accountable for the negligence that led to the injury.

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