A Seattle woman is suing an anger management class contractor, its owner, and an instructor, alleging that the company and instructor failed to take sufficient protections to protect the safety of the class participants. According to the lawsuit, the instructor merely watched and took no action while another member of the class allegedly stabbed her multiple times with a knife.

Seattle police have not yet filed any criminal charges against the woman who is accused of assault in the alleged stabbing of the plaintiff during an anger management course. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff had been court-ordered to attend the class in exchange for the dismissal of a charge of malicious mischief. During the second class, the students were watching an episode of the television show 'Dr. Phil' when the alleged perpetrator showed up to class more than an hour late.

This, the plaintiff claims, violated the company's policy of refusing to admit students that arrive to class late. If that policy had been enforced, the incident could have been avoided, she claims.

According to the lawsuit, the late student began to yell and curse about the video. When the plaintiff asked the student to stop yelling, she became angry and got up from her seat to "physically confront" the plaintiff with a knife. She swung the knife toward the plaintiff's head and neck and ultimately stabbed her in her right and left shoulders three times.

The plaintiff alleges that the instructor, who has 40 years of law enforcement experience, did nothing to stop the assault and did not even call 911 for the victim as she stood in the class, bleeding. She is seeking damages for injuries, emotional distress and severe anxiety.

Source: Courthouse News Service, "Stabbed in Anger Management Class," June Williams, Dec. 8, 2011