A Delaware County student with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who seriously beat a fellow student in the lunchroom did not commit the assault because his condition made him do it, a federal judge has ruled.

In finding that the assault was not a manifestation of J.H.’s disability, U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania upheld a hearing officer’s ruling dismissing lawsuit brought by J.H.’s parents against Rose Tree Media School District under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and state law.