Adam Cooley, left, and Sean EmmerChattanooga attorneys have asked a local judge to issue a restraining order to block the city from having to rehire two fired police officers.
Administrative law judge Kim Summers, of Nashville, found in September that former Chattanooga police Officers Sean Emmer and Adam Cooley acted in accordance with their training when they beat federal inmate Adam Tatum more than 44 times with a metal baton, breaking both his legs, during a confrontation at the Salvation Army on McCallie Avenue. She ordered the officers to be reinstated, a decision denounced by Mayor Andy Berke and the City Council. Public outcry after Summers issued her order was swift.
City Attorney Wade Hinton said the administration decided to file its request for a stay of Summers’ order until its appeal has been filed. City officials chose to pursue an appeal through local courts because they felt Summers didn’t take into consideration dozens of exhibits, witnesses’ testimony and other facts in the case.
The city could have appealed Summers’ decision through the Administrative Procedures Division in Nashville.
“We felt and took comfort that the entire record could be reviewed by a local judge,” Hinton said Thursday.