Teacher wins $1-million suit over homework battle

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A Montreal teacher won a $1-million suit, arguing her life was destroyed by a student's parents who didn't appreciate their son had to redo homework.

Mary Kanavaros, 56, was not in a festive mood after her big victory at Quebec Superior Court.

"This is a very serious situation that should not have happened to me and should never happen to anyone," Kanavaros told QMI Agency.

The drama started in 2004 at an elementary school in Westmount, a wealthy Montreal suburb. Kanavaros had asked a nine-year-old student to redo homework because she believed the child's mother had done the assignment.

Outraged by the teacher's reaction, the parents, Hagop Artinian and Kathryn Rosentein sued Kanavaros, the school principal and the school board. They asked for $155,000, claiming their son was humiliated.

After four years of negotiation, the school and the parents came to an agreement that included that both parties had to keep the case confidential.

The parents broke the agreement by talking to the media.

Kanavaros said her reputation was broken, and she fell in a deep depression that forced her to stay home and quit her job.

The teacher sued the parents for libel and was awarded $ 234,000 in 2010.

Court heard Kanavaros is still not able to work. She is prone to panic attacks and has no energy.

This week, Quebec Superior Court ordered the parents to pay her $912,327 to compensate for the salary she would have earned to retirement since leaving her job in 2011 and another $100,000 in damage."