The Alabama Supreme Court has denied the appeal of the former football coach at Hampton University, who alleged that university officials defamed him in the aftermath of his dismissal.
Plaintiff Jerry Holmes filed the lawsuit in 2011. He claimed specifically that statements made by HU athletic director Lonza Hardy and then-director of human resources Angela Dunn shortly after he was fired in 2009 were false and damaged his professional reputation
Hardy had told the media that Holmes was terminated because he was networking for a professional assistant coaching position at the Senior Bowl all-star game in Mobile, Ala.
Holmes alleged that Hardy knowingly or with reckless disregard made “materially false statements” with the objective of “humiliating” Holmes. The lawsuit claims the statements were “willfully designed by defendant to discredit plaintiff in his profession.” Holmes also alleged the Dunn sent a letter to Holmes in which she said he violated HU’s code of conduct to “practice personal, professional and academic integrity and discourage all forms of dishonesty.”
He sought $6.5 million in actual damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.
In its answer, Hampton University claimed that each alleged false statement “either was not published, was privileged, constituted opinion, did not prejudice (Holmes) in his profession, or by its plain and natural meaning was not defamatory.”
Specifically, the response argued that all correspondence from Hardy and Dunn was sent directly to Holmes and copied only to “university employees who were in a position to have a need to know.”
After losing in Hampton Circuit Court in a ruling on Dec. 11, 2012, Holmes appealed to the Supreme Court, which refused his petition for appeal.
