The legal battle between former Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins and the school district reached a pivotal moment when Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Robert Childers chose to not grant a preliminary injunction that could have reinstated Feagins to her prior role. The injunction, denied last Friday, found no legal footing to immediately place Feagins back into the superintendent seat while her lawsuit is ongoing, as reported by The Commercial Appeal. Judge Childers ruled that there weren't enough proofs at this stage to conclude that Feagins "is likely to prevail after a full evidentiary hearing."
Feagins filed the motion on July 22, seeking to basically halt the actions taken by the Memphis Shelby County Schools board earlier this year, which involved her contract termination and the subsequent appointment of interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond. WREG reported that the board's attorney, Robert Spence, expressed satisfaction with the judge's decision, stating his eagerness "to end this case."
At the core of Feagins' allegations is a claim that the MSCS board violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, orchestrating secret meetings aimed at conspiring against her. Feagins further accused specific board members of running a smear campaign to damage her reputation and facilitate her removal. However, a request for preliminary injunction is a difficult legal hurdle to overcome, requiring the plaintiff to demonstrate a strong likelihood of success on the merits of the case—a burden Feagins did not meet, as per the court's findings outlined by Local Memphis.
Despite the denial, the legal proceedings are far from over. Feagins is also seeking over $480,000 in damages for what she claims was an unlawful termination that breached the terms of her contract. Her quest for justice continues to be a symbol of resistance against alleged clandestine actions that may have led to her sullied standing and the board's claimed indifference to proper public meeting protocols. As the suit marches to trial, each side appears to firmly brace their claim to procedural and moral high ground. Joyce Dorse-Coleman previously commented on behalf of MSCS regarding the issue, noting that the board will "cooperate fully with the legal process," but due to the ongoing legal battle, they remain limited in public discourse, as obtained by Local Memphis.
