A 16-year-old girl attended a homecoming dance at Richmond High School, but got bored and left. After leaving, she went drinking brandy with a classmate and four men. Alas, her drinking partners were not gentlemanly sorts, and when she blacked out from drinking too much (.355 blood-alcohol level), they stripped, beat, raped, and robbed her. This was, her lawyer argued, the fault of the West Contra Costa school district (rather than, say, the half dozen accused of raping her, and another dozen or so who watched and took cell-phone photos), and the district avoided trial by agreeing to pay her $4 million. Six men ranging in age from 17 to 44 are facing criminal trial and life in prison; charges were dismissed against a seventh, younger defendant. (Shelly Meron, "Richmond teen settles civil lawsuit against school in gang rape case," Times-Herald, Jan. 22; Contra Costa Times.)