Two assistant coaches added to $8 million bullying lawsuit against Dougherty County School System

ALBANY — Dougherty County Superior Court judge Stephen Goss has granted a Leave of Court motion to add two assistant coaches and a John/Jane Doe to the $8 million bullying lawsuit Manswell Peterson has filed against the Dougherty County School System and Westover boys basketball coach Dallis Smith.

Goss allowed Peterson’s attorney, Samia Giddings Peterson, to add Westover assistant coaches Derek Pace and Torie Clemmons to the suit.

Manswell Peterson filed suit late last year after what he believed to be a bullying incident at a basketball camp in Tallahassee, Fla., involving his son and six members of the Westover basketball team. Peterson’s son was a member of the team at that time.

After a procedural issue was resolved, the Petersons requested Leave of Court for the adding of additional parties to the law suit on Jan. 26. The court granted the request on March 5, and an amended complaint was filed on March 10. The suit was originally filed in October 2014.

“The amendment added assistant coaches Derek Pace and Torie Clemons as defendants,” Samia Peterson stated in a news release. “In addition, the court granted the Petersons’ request to add a John/Jane Doe as a defendant being the fourth mystery chaperone since the name of this person has yet to be provided though previously requested.

“When, if ever, this name is provided, this person’s name will be substituted in place of the John/Jane Doe designation in the Court proceedings.”

Goss denied the plaintiff’s additional motion asking that the DCSS Board of Education file an answer to the amended complaint.

The suit centers on Manswell Peterson’s contention that a lack of chaperons and lax supervision of the members of the basketball team led to the alleged bullying incident in June 2014.

“We have come to learn since the filing of the amended complaint that the School Board has now changed its policy about who and what chaperons can and cannot do when attending field trips with children,” Manswell Peterson stated in the news release. “It has been our position all along that one of the coaches took his minor child with him and now with this policy change, the policy reflects that our belief was accurate.

“We feel as though the School Board recognizes now, as we always have, that having such a guest present would interfere with duties as a chaperon and as a coach, not allowing the duties of either to be effectively administered.”

The news release added, “the School Board policy states one chaperon per ten students. The Board has acknowledged that 35 students rode to camp on the bus with one chaperon and 36 students rode back from camp with one chaperon. This is in direct violation of its own policy, rules and regulations. It would appear that the appropriate number of chaperons at any given time were not present during this out of state trip.”