Jury trial of former athletes' $10 million lawsuit against Fayetteville Christian School begins
By Paul Woolverton Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
A jury has to decide whether two once-promising high school athletes threw away their potential sports careers with their own wrongdoing, or if they instead lost their careers at the hands of allegedly racist and vindictive administrators at Fayetteville Christian School.
Testimony in the former students' $10 million lawsuit against the school began Thursday afternoon in Cumberland County Superior Court.
Former basketball point guard T.J. Robinson, and his cousin, former football running back Al Williams, hoped to play college sports and then go pro, their lawyers say. Instead, Head of School Tammi Peters falsely accused them of misconduct and expelled them from Fayetteville Christian School in August 2012, the lawsuit says.
Their lawsuit claims they were targeted because they are black and because Peters nursed a grudge against Robinson after he fended off a school suspension in the ninth grade.
"The hopes and dreams of these kids were completely ruined," plaintiffs' lawyer Harold Kennedy told the jury in the trial's opening statements.
Fayetteville Christian School says there is no basis to the lawsuit, that Robinson and Williams were rightfully expelled. Defense lawyer Scott Lewis of Wilmington in opening statements to the jury said the lawsuit comes after Robinson's parents Thurston and Charlotte Robinson, who are also plaintiffs in the case, lost their life savings in a failed business venture.
Kennedy said Peters developed an animus against Robinson when he was in the ninth grade. She accused Robinson of drinking alcohol and giving some to two other students, Kennedy said.
When he denied it - and after he passed an alcohol breath test with no evidence of alcohol in his system - Peters still said she would suspend him, Robinson testified.
Peters backed down when his mother stood up for him, Robinson said.
Robinson recounted a successful sophomore year in athletics and academics. That was followed by a summer spent at invitation-only basketball training camps for top high school players - where he said he caught the attention of college coaches - and on the championship team in the Amateur Athletic Union.
Early in 11th grade, Robinson said, Vice Principal Shannon Holmes falsely accused him of leaving a school field trip before he was allowed to go and was going to suspend him.
Three days after threatening to suspend Robinson, Holmes accused him of smoking marijuana, the lawsuit alleges.
Holmes had Robinson take a drug test.
Robinson said that it was negative for drug use, which upset Holmes. He said Holmes left the office and returned with another drug test that showed a positive result for drugs.
Robinson's father, who was the school's basketball coach, later that day had Robinson take a drug test at a medical clinic. The result was negative, Robinson said, but school head Peters still said he was expelled.
His cousin Williams was expelled shortly after.
School lawyer Lewis told the jury that Robinson's urine was tested twice in front of him. Both tests showed drug use, he said.
Williams was expelled for sharing on Twitter a link to a naked girl, Lewis said, a violation of the school's Christian values against pornography.
Harold Kennedy said the school expelled Williams because he received an anonymously sent email of an image of a nude woman.
Williams and Robinson transferred to Terry Sanford High School. Their lawsuit says Peters told lies to Terry Sanford administrators about their backgrounds at Fayetteville Christian, knocking Williams off Terry Sanford's football team and keeping Robinson out of basketball.
Robinson tried to transfer to Hoke County High School, but was blocked again by Peters, he said.
He transferred to a private school in Durham for the remainder of his junior year and for his senior year. His basketball skills declined - his scoring average dropped by half, he said, and college basketball coaches no longer contacted him.
Robinson, now 20, had two semesters in four-year colleges. He currently studies nursing at Robeson Community College in Lumberton, he said.
Williams is at N.C. Central University in Durham and has been a student manager on the football team, Kennedy told the jury.
By Paul Woolverton Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
A jury has to decide whether two once-promising high school athletes threw away their potential sports careers with their own wrongdoing, or if they instead lost their careers at the hands of allegedly racist and vindictive administrators at Fayetteville Christian School.
Testimony in the former students' $10 million lawsuit against the school began Thursday afternoon in Cumberland County Superior Court.
Former basketball point guard T.J. Robinson, and his cousin, former football running back Al Williams, hoped to play college sports and then go pro, their lawyers say. Instead, Head of School Tammi Peters falsely accused them of misconduct and expelled them from Fayetteville Christian School in August 2012, the lawsuit says.
Their lawsuit claims they were targeted because they are black and because Peters nursed a grudge against Robinson after he fended off a school suspension in the ninth grade.
"The hopes and dreams of these kids were completely ruined," plaintiffs' lawyer Harold Kennedy told the jury in the trial's opening statements.
Fayetteville Christian School says there is no basis to the lawsuit, that Robinson and Williams were rightfully expelled. Defense lawyer Scott Lewis of Wilmington in opening statements to the jury said the lawsuit comes after Robinson's parents Thurston and Charlotte Robinson, who are also plaintiffs in the case, lost their life savings in a failed business venture.
Kennedy said Peters developed an animus against Robinson when he was in the ninth grade. She accused Robinson of drinking alcohol and giving some to two other students, Kennedy said.
When he denied it - and after he passed an alcohol breath test with no evidence of alcohol in his system - Peters still said she would suspend him, Robinson testified.
Peters backed down when his mother stood up for him, Robinson said.
Robinson recounted a successful sophomore year in athletics and academics. That was followed by a summer spent at invitation-only basketball training camps for top high school players - where he said he caught the attention of college coaches - and on the championship team in the Amateur Athletic Union.
Early in 11th grade, Robinson said, Vice Principal Shannon Holmes falsely accused him of leaving a school field trip before he was allowed to go and was going to suspend him.
Three days after threatening to suspend Robinson, Holmes accused him of smoking marijuana, the lawsuit alleges.
Holmes had Robinson take a drug test.
Robinson said that it was negative for drug use, which upset Holmes. He said Holmes left the office and returned with another drug test that showed a positive result for drugs.
Robinson's father, who was the school's basketball coach, later that day had Robinson take a drug test at a medical clinic. The result was negative, Robinson said, but school head Peters still said he was expelled.
His cousin Williams was expelled shortly after.
School lawyer Lewis told the jury that Robinson's urine was tested twice in front of him. Both tests showed drug use, he said.
Williams was expelled for sharing on Twitter a link to a naked girl, Lewis said, a violation of the school's Christian values against pornography.
Harold Kennedy said the school expelled Williams because he received an anonymously sent email of an image of a nude woman.
Williams and Robinson transferred to Terry Sanford High School. Their lawsuit says Peters told lies to Terry Sanford administrators about their backgrounds at Fayetteville Christian, knocking Williams off Terry Sanford's football team and keeping Robinson out of basketball.
Robinson tried to transfer to Hoke County High School, but was blocked again by Peters, he said.
He transferred to a private school in Durham for the remainder of his junior year and for his senior year. His basketball skills declined - his scoring average dropped by half, he said, and college basketball coaches no longer contacted him.
Robinson, now 20, had two semesters in four-year colleges. He currently studies nursing at Robeson Community College in Lumberton, he said.
Williams is at N.C. Central University in Durham and has been a student manager on the football team, Kennedy told the jury.
