A judge has denied Pine Bluff High School football coach Micheal Williams pending motion for a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit against Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree and the seven members of the Pine Bluff School Board. Williams had asked a judge in his motion to allow him to have a name-clearing hearing in the circumstances of the case. The order was signed by Judge Lee P. Rudofsky in the Central Division of the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Rudofsky ruled that there was a lack of a likelihood of success on the merits of the name-clearing hearing claim, the absence or de minimis nature of any irreparable harm that could be remedied by the requested preliminary relief. The judge ruled that Williams is currently suspended with pay and is not facing imminent termination, non-renewal of a contract, suspension without pay or demotion. He also ruled that Williams, in the absence of preliminary relief, would suffer irreparable injury and that Williams, as the plaintiff significantly delayed bringing a motion for preliminary relief. The relief was also denied because Williams is only suspended with pay and is being offered another contract for next year and will be restored to full duties so long as the Arkansas Department of Education’s investigation concludes with Plaintiff (Williams) license in good standing. The plaintiff (Williams), will have the opportunity to tell his side of the story to the ADE and has already been given the opportunity to tell his side of the story about the allegedly stigmatizing allegations in open court. The judge went on to say “in these circumstances, either there is no irreparable injury or the injury is de minimus (so minor) that it would not be mitigated by a name clearing hearing. Deltaplex Radio has reached out to Williams attorney Mircha King to inquire about what the next steps will be in the lawsuit.
