UNIONTOWN, Pa.—A judge says a southwestern Pennsylvania school district that paid $100,000 in damages for not preventing a teacher from having consensual sex with a student in 2006 deserves a new trial.

Fayette County Judge John Wagner says he erred when he let the student's attorney present evidence that the Albert Gallatin School District had previously ignored a sexual harassment complaint against another teacher.

Wagner says that unfairly prejudiced the jury, which ordered the district to pay $100,000 and the former teacher to pay $200,000 to the student, who was 16 when the sex occurred.

The student's attorney, Thomas Shaffer, had argued the district was responsible because it had a practice of ignoring sexual harassment complaints against teachers. Shaffer says he may appeal the judge's ruling because he believes the evidence about the other teacher is relevant.