TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Tupelo Public School District is asking a federal judge to sanction Calvin Ellis and his attorney for language used in a lawsuit filed over his termination.
Ellis was terminated by the district of October 28, 2011.
The decision was upheld by the TPSD Board of Trustees following an appeal hearing in March of 2012.
In his lawsuit, Ellis accuses the district of breach of contract, tortious breach of contract, interference with contracts, and violations of Ellis' due process and equal protection rights.
School officials at the time of his termination said they had received 23 different complaints.
In his lawsuit, Ellis claims the district didn't follow state law in reviewing the complaints against him.
Ellis is asking for unspecified monetary damages, attorney's fees and court costs from the district.
In their court filing on Friday, lawyers for the school district say the complaints over "false testimony" are "legally and factually baseless Complaint accusations".
The district is asking a federal judge to admonish Ellis and his attorney over the language in the lawsuit and order them to file an amended complaint,
The district is also asking for Ellis and his attorney to pay the attorney fees and other expenses in filing the request for sanction.
