Judge dismisses most claims by UK football players in lawsuit against Lexington police
A federal judge has dismissed 10 of the 11 claims in a lawsuit filed by five Kentucky football players against the Lexington Police Department.
In the lawsuit filed in September 2022, UK players R.J. Adams, JuTahn McClain, Andru Phillips, Vito Tisdale and Joel Williams alleged Lexington police officer Cory Vinlove “embarked on a journey to frame (six) Black men for a crime they did not commit” in order to “further his own career and embarrass the University of Kentucky football program.” The lawsuit also listed the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, police officer Donnell Gordon and Police Chief Lawrence Weathers as defendants.
Friday’s ruling dismissed all claims against LFUCG, Gordon and Weathers. The only claim that was not dismissed was a state law claim for malicious prosecution against Vinlove.
The city and the police department declined to comment Monday.
The five players — plus former UK wide receiver Earnest Sanders — were each charged with first-degree burglary in August 2021 after an investigation into a fight at an off-campus fraternity party earlier that year. Tisdale was also charged with first-degree wanton endangerment. A grand jury later declined to indict the football players.
“This lawsuit is another tragic example of the damage caused by corrupt policing in America,” Elliot Slosar, an attorney at Chicago-based civil rights law firm Loevy & Loevy, said in the September 2022 news release announcing the lawsuit. “It is shocking how Officer Cory Vinlove, in spite of objective evidence and the University of Kentucky’s thorough investigation, damaged so many lives. As the lawsuits demonstrate, these five young Black men were targeted by a white officer with an axe to grind and determined to make a name for himself.
“The false initiation of charges stripped these players of their innocence and prevented them from enjoying college and playing football for the University of Kentucky, a program they love. R.J., JuTahn, Andru, Devito, and Joel bring this lawsuit to get justice for the damage caused and to hold Defendant Vinlove and others responsible for their egregious misconduct.”
In dismissing the claims against the defendants other than Vinlove, U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove ruled the football players were not deprived of their constitutional liberty interests despite acknowledging the charges were damaging to the players’ reputations.
Van Tatenhove ruled the players only alleged sufficient facts to support the state claim against Vinlove as they failed to show how Gordon or Weathers participated in the alleged malicious prosecution.
Student conduct records obtained by the Herald-Leader showed alcohol and racial slurs “played a significant role” in the escalation of the altercation at the party near UK’s campus. The players were allegedly told they weren’t welcome at the party, according to court and student conduct records. Racial slurs were allegedly directed at some of the players, who left but later returned with more people. They reportedly forced their way into the home and got into a fight that ended with multiple people injured.
Some people attending the party said multiple women were hit during the fight, according to student conduct records. Tisdale was charged with wanton endangerment because he was accused of bringing a gun and pointing it at people but no gun was found, according to available police reports.
A student conduct review was conducted to figure out who violated UK student policies. Ten individuals were charged with at least one student conduct violation. Six people were found not responsible for any of their respective university charges.
Each of the players was suspended from team activities when UK learned of their reported involvement in the incident. Players returned to team activities in June 2021 after they were cleared by the university investigation but were suspended again after the criminal charges were filed in August. The players were cleared to return to the team when the grand jury declined to indict.
Of the six players charged, only Phillips and McClain are still on UK’s team two years later. Adams (Lackawanna), Sanders (Saginaw Valley State), Tisdale (Colorado) and Joel Williams (Memphis) have since transferred to other programs.
With the federal claims in the lawsuit dismissed, the plaintiffs now have 21 days to submit a brief to determine if the federal court still has jurisdiction over the remaining state claim.
