Federal judge dismisses claims brought by former Ooltewah High School teachers who say they were treated unfairly in the 2015 rape case

A federal judge Tuesday dismissed several claims brought by three Ooltewah High School teachers who believed they were treated unfairly in the aftermath of a 2015 rape case in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

In a 35-page order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Steger sided with several motions to dismiss that Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, the Hamilton County Department of Education and former superintendent Rick Smith filed after being sued in 2017 by three former Ooltewah High School employees.

Among other things, Steger ruled the employees provided no proof that Pinkston acted “in concert” with other county and state officials to penalize the men. Steger also said some of the claims would be better dealt with in a state court, should the teachers want to refile their claims.

Their attorney, Curtis Bowe, did not return a call for comment Tuesday about whether the teachers would refile anything in state court.

Former Ooltewah High School Principal Jim Jarvis, the school’s former athletic director Allard “Jesse” Nayadley and former head basketball coach Andre “Tank” Montgomery first filed a 33-page federal lawsuit in June 2017, claiming the various school, county and state officials violated their constitutional rights by “illegally disseminating false facts” and stripping the men of the “opportunity to defend their employment against the untrue and malicious allegations” stemming from the December 2015 rape, attempted rape and assault of four Ooltewah students during a trip to a basketball tournament.