Former Memphis Schools Aide Seeks $1.5 Million in Harassment Lawsuit

A lawsuit by former Memphis-Shelby County Schools aide Camalyn S. Turner puts the district’s handling of workplace complaints under scrutiny. Turner is seeking $1.5 million from the Shelby County Board of Education, alleging former Superintendent Marie Feagins exposed herself twice in 2024 and retaliated against her after she rejected Feagins’ advances.

Turner worked as Feagins’ special assistant for four months. Her federal lawsuit, filed Thursday, says she resigned on Oct. 15, 2024, after being demoted, publicly humiliated and threatened with further discipline. The complaint alleges the district created an abusive and hostile work environment.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools acknowledged the case but declined to comment. Feagins isn’t named as a defendant. She was fired in January 2025 and is pursuing two legal cases of her own against the district and its leaders. A judge recently declined to immediately restore her to the superintendent role, and another case accuses a school board member of defamation.

Feagins did not respond to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment. The Daily Memphian reported that she denied Turner’s allegations during a July 2025 hearing in one of her cases, after MSCS lawyers raised them. Turner’s attorney, Murray Wells, said the district had already relied on her claims in its arguments against Feagins.

“They used Ms. Turner’s allegations against Ms. Feagins for their own use,” Wells said. “So it would be hard for them to deny that now.”

Alleged incidents and retaliation

Turner says she moved to Memphis for the job and stayed briefly at Feagins’ home in August 2024. The lawsuit alleges that on Aug. 19, Feagins called Turner downstairs to listen to a conversation with a local school board member. When Turner reached the bottom of the stairs, the complaint says, Feagins was naked and looking at her. Turner turned around and went back upstairs.

The next day, according to the filing, Feagins gave Turner’s position to another employee and said Turner would be moved to a lower-paying job because she had “consistently failed to meet expectations.” The lawsuit also says Feagins later blamed Turner for a budget overrun of more than $50,000 tied to an event called Legacy Night, which Turner says she didn’t help plan.

The second alleged incident took place in early October. The complaint says Feagins insisted Turner stay in a room while she undressed. The following day, Feagins allegedly asked Turner to come to her home and dress her for an event. Turner declined.

After that, the lawsuit alleges, Feagins sent Turner a “barrage of emails” that tried to assign her responsibility for district-wide problems with emergency communications to parents. Turner says she resigned soon after, believing more retaliation was likely. The complaint cites the alleged nudity, demotion, accusations of financial misconduct, exclusion from her duties and threats of write-ups and transfer.

One day after Turner resigned, Feagins allegedly offered her an additional $20,000 to stay. Turner declined, according to the lawsuit.

Complaints and other litigation

Turner reported the alleged harassment to district counsel shortly after resigning. Her lawsuit says she had not reported it while employed because she feared retaliation. She also filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency dismissed it in August and notified Turner that she could sue.

Wells described the EEOC’s action as procedural, saying it “is not a finding on the merits at all.” He said the district investigated Turner’s claims after she left. Turner initially sought to resolve her complaint without filing a public case, but the two sides could not reach an agreement.

Wells said Turner had been reluctant to enter a public dispute over Feagins, whom he described as a polarizing figure. “There’s a faction of people here who are so loyal to her…there’s going to be public backlash,” he said. “We didn’t want to be in that fight.”

The Memphis lawsuit follows a separate case Turner filed against Atlanta Public Schools. That complaint alleges she was fired from a special assistant role after raising concerns about disability-law compliance and grading discrepancies. In April, a judge denied immunity to the school system and named leaders, leaving them potentially liable if Turner proves her claims. The Atlanta case is ongoing.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include information from an interview with Murray Wells.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at [email protected].