Dr. Marie Feagins’ wrongful termination lawsuit is essentially back at square one, even as she works the campaign trail for Shelby County mayor.
At a Shelby County Circuit Court status hearing on Thursday, Feb. 12, the case screeched to a procedural halt when Feagins’ newly hired attorney told the judge she needed time to review the record. Feagins herself did not appear in court. The reset pushes back deadlines and means lawyers on both sides will have to crank through new rounds of discovery before anything substantial happens again.
New Counsel Slams the Brakes as Judge Orders a Do-Over
In court, Feagins’ new lawyer, Rachel Lambert, told the judge she was still getting up to speed and was waiting on files from Feagins’ former attorney. While that happens, Lambert pulled back several subpoenas and deposition requests that had been in motion. Circuit Court Judge W. Christopher Frulla responded by saying the litigation would “start back from scratch” while both sides regroup, according to Action News 5.
What Feagins Is Arguing
Feagins first filed the lawsuit in February 2025, accusing the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board of breaking Tennessee’s Open Meetings Act by coordinating meetings and discussions that paved the way for her firing, according to reporting by the Daily Memphian. A different judge rejected her attempt to get her job back last August, denying a request to be reinstated as superintendent and leaving her dismissal in place while the civil lawsuit moves forward, per coverage in the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Board Moves to Lock In New Leadership
While the lawsuit lumbers back to the starting line, the school board is not waiting around. This week, board members voted to remove the “interim” tag from Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond and make him the permanent leader. They framed the move as a bid for stability at a time when the district is under both public scrutiny and legal pressure, according to Chalkbeat Tennessee. With Richmond now locked in, the odds of any swift reinstatement for Feagins grow slimmer, even if she eventually wins on some legal points.
Campaign Trail and Cash Crunch
Feagins has said publicly she has “nothing to hide” as she pitches herself to voters in the Shelby County mayoral race, and local party leaders say the lawsuit will not knock her off the ballot. Financial disclosures tell a less rosy story. County filings reviewed by Action News 5 show she is lagging behind better-funded rivals while her litigation is essentially rebooted.
The courtroom reset means the case will likely drag out longer as Lambert and attorneys for the school board refashion their discovery plans and legal strategy. For voters, that timing question is hard to ignore. The lawsuit could become both a liability and a talking point, shaping how Feagins argues she would handle school governance and county leadership at the very moment she is asking the public for a promotion.
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