A federal judge has again refused to toss out an abuse lawsuit brought by families of 11 former cadets at St. John's Military School in Salina.

 

The academy wanted the lawsuit dismissed or an order putting the dispute into arbitration. The school contends the enrollment contract signed by cadets' parents requires any claims to be submitted to arbitration.

 

U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum on Wednesday denied the school's request on the same grounds that he denied it in June. He had previously ruled the arbitration clause agreed to by the parents does not apply to claims from the students.

 

St. John's renewed the request because four plaintiffs had been added to the case and it wanted to preserve all legal issues for appeal. The school denies the abuse claims.