Terrell Owens Served With Defamation Lawsuit at Chattanooga Event

Former NFL player Terrell Owens received papers for a federal defamation lawsuit while meeting fans in Chattanooga on November 8, during homecoming weekend at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his alma mater. Video of the encounter shows a man handing him documents during what seemed to be a fan gathering. Owens looked through the papers, set them on a table and returned to the event.

The case was filed on October 5 in a federal court in southern Mississippi. Attorneys Edward Andrew Paltzik and Jarrett Tyler Cox represent three associates of Nolan Wells, a Black teen who died in Mississippi after going missing during a Fourth of July gathering.

The complaint alleges that Owens amplified an Instagram video on X that advanced an unfounded theory blaming the three friends for Wells’ death. It says Owens added a caption urging that they be arrested immediately. Paltzik has criticized the post, saying it could encourage people to target the men.

Paltzik described Owens as disgusted by being served at the fan event. Owens, however, posted about a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball game and shared another user’s post calling for justice for Wells. The lawsuit seeks to hold him liable for defamation; the allegations in the complaint are claims, not a court finding.