The Sendai District Court on Tuesday ordered a driving school in Miyagi Prefecture to pay ¥1.9 billion in damages to relatives of 25 students and a part-time employee who died in the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami disasters.

It is the fourth time a district court has ruled on a damages suit filed by families of tsunami victims against operators of their school or workplace, and the second time damages were awarded. At least 15 such suits have been filed.

The court found that the Tokiwa-Yamamoto Driving School in the town of Yamamoto could have predicted the arrival of tsunami after the massive earthquake struck.