The state declined to prosecute Bodine, viewing that the injuries were more than sufficient punishment. Bodine's attorney, Al Naphan, sued the school district, arguing the district was negligent; a similar incident had occurred at the district's Shasta High School on June 6, 1981, killing Paul Andrew Schurr. Judge Joseph Redmon ruled that criminal conduct would not bar Bodine from suing or collecting. The district's insurance company settled the case for $260,000 up front plus $1,500 per month for the rest of Bodine's life.