BD Newsletter

By Brad Durham

Attorney Michael D. Galligan has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Sable Winfree, a senior student at Warren County High School. The suit is against the Warren County Schools District, Mendy Stotts, Chris Hobbs and Dr. Grant Swallows. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee at Winchester on Thursday, April 18, 2024. 

The lawsuit requests a judgement against the defendants Warren County School District, Mendy Stotts, Chris Hobbs and Dr. Grant Swallows in a sum not to exceed $750,000. The lawsuit is in federal court and requests a trial by jury. 

The facts of the suit state that Sable Winfree was denied her rights under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Specifically, the Fifth Amendment protects against the taking of property by the government without compensation. The lawsuit claims that the defendants took Winfree’s rights to a basketball scholarship and future education.

The argument for the application of the Fourteenth Amendment indicates that as a citizen of the United States, Winfree was denied her property without due process of law. Moreover, the suit claims that Winfree’s facts were not allowed to be heard.

The facts of the lawsuit focus on the dismissal of Sable Winfree from the high school Lady Pioneer basketball team. Winfree had been Freshman of the Year and All-District her sophomore and junior years. The heart of the legal case is an accusation by Mendy Stotts, then the head girls basketball coach, claiming that Sable Winfree used the f-word in conversation with the coach during practice on November 15, 2023. Winfree denies this is true and states that she has witnesses of the fact.

Before Winfree was dismissed from the team, she had been offered a full scholarship to Trevecca Nazarene University. Two weeks after Winfree was dismissed from the team, the coaching staff of Trevecca contacted Winfree and informed her that the scholarship was being rescinded.

Other damages delineated in the lawsuit claim that Winfree has suffered more than the loss of a scholarship and potential future scholarship offers. The suit states that Stotts’ false statements also led to harm of Winfree’s reputation in the community, as well as subsequent embarrassment and humiliation. 

Not mentioned in the lawsuit but relevant to people of faith and germane to Stotts’ accusations against Sable Winfree is the Ninth Commandment. “You shall not give false evidence against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16, The New Jerusalem Bible.)

After filing the lawsuit and the defendants were notified that a lawsuit had been filed against them, Michael Galligan made a statement. Galligan said, “I wish the goal was to put the student’s rights and well-being over all other considerations.”

Dr. Grant Swallows, Chris Hobbs and Mendy Stotts were contacted for comments regarding the lawsuit. Dr. Grant Swallows stated via email: “Warren County Schools received the information regarding a lawsuit.  We have not had the time to review as of yet and furthermore our policy prevents us from commenting about pending litigation.”

Attorney Michael D. Galligan reviewing the lawsuit he filed on behalf of Sable Winfree in his offices. Ironically, Galligan previously served as the Warren County Schools attorney several years ago.

The lawsuit can be downloaded and viewed here:

Previous articles related to the dismissal of Sable Winfree from the WCHS Lady Pioneer basketball team:

A New Interview with Sable Winfree 

Grounds for Investigation and Suspension

The Collective Failure to Help Sable Winfree