The legal fight over a Monteagle repair-shop run-in is officially underway, with town officials and a police chief telling a federal judge they did nothing wrong and should not owe a dime.
The Town of Monteagle, Police Chief William Raline, Sgt. Alhafiz Ibn Karteron and Treva Baker have all filed answers in federal court rejecting a $9 million civil-rights complaint brought by business owner Rodney Lynn Kilgore. They deny any constitutional violations, ask the court to toss the case, and want their legal costs covered. The lawsuit traces back to a Sept. 15, 2025, encounter at Kilgore's repair business that led to criminal charges that were later dismissed or no-billed.
What Kilgore's complaint says
Kilgore's 30-page complaint, filed March 29, 2026, accuses the defendants of violating his First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights and combines federal civil-rights claims with state-law counts such as assault and battery, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He seeks $3 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages, according to McObserver. The filing includes exhibits and a detailed chronology of the Sept. 15, 2025, interaction that led to Kilgore's arrest and later court dismissals.
How defendants answered in court
According to federal court records, the four defendants filed separate answers in late April and May, denying Kilgore's allegations and rolling out a series of defenses that include lack of probable cause and various forms of statutory immunity. As listed on Justia, Baker filed her answer on April 27, the Town of Monteagle and Chief Raline responded May 7, and Sgt. Karteron followed with his answer on May 20.
Specific denials and contested facts
In their responses, the defendants push back on several of Kilgore's key factual claims. Baker denies she acted under color of law at any point and rejects allegations tied to a food-truck encounter. Karteron denies physically abusing Kilgore and maintains that body-camera footage contradicts Kilgore's version of events, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Chief Raline's answer says releasing police video under an open-records request was proper and denies that he conspired to violate Kilgore's rights or failed to supervise his officers.
Background and town reaction
The dispute traces back to Sept. 15, 2025, after a customer allegedly refused to pay for repair work at Kilgore's shop, according to the complaint and local reporting. Related criminal charges against Kilgore were later dismissed or not prosecuted, and prosecutors dropped a retaliation charge in January. Local coverage says the lawsuit has turned up the heat at town meetings and drawn extra attention because Chief Raline is running for Moore County sheriff. For more on how the community is reacting, see McObserver.
Legal posture and what's next
All four defendants are asking the court to dismiss the case and to assess costs against Kilgore. A May 21 court order directs the parties to meet, confer and file a discovery plan, according to the docket. The defendants also invoke Tennessee immunities, including defenses tied to the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act. That statute, as summarized in Tennessee appellate decisions, has been used to limit certain tort claims against government entities and employees and can intersect with civil-rights and related tort claims. For background on the GTLA and related case law, see FindLaw.
What to watch in court
The case is still in its early innings, so do not expect a trial anytime soon. Before that, the court is likely to see fights over immunity, discovery battles and eventual summary-judgment motions. The complaint and the defendants' answers are public records and can be read in full. For the filings to date, see the complaint via McObserver and coverage in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
