FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2026

Sixth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Lawsuits Against City of Athens and Sanctions Plaintiff’s Attorneys

A Statement from Mayor Larry Eaton:

“This past Friday the City of Athens received rulings from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals related to three of Mr. Whiting’s Federal cases that were filed years ago and have been on appeal for some time.  It is very reassuring to see that the 6thCircuit Appellate Judges, after an exhaustive review of the full record, agreed with the various trial court rulings over the years.  These appellate decisions reconfirm what our administration, employees, citizens, and councilmembers knew all along.  On behalf of the City of Athens I want to assure the citizens, businesses, and visitors that we are committed to moving forward and building an even great community.”

ATHENS, Tennessee. – The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of multiple lawsuits filed against the City of Athens and several city officials related to the City’s 2022 Independence Day fireworks event. The court also imposed significant sanctions on the plaintiff’s attorneys for misconduct during the appeals process.

The consolidated appeals stemmed from litigation brought by Glenn Whiting following the City’s 2022 fireworks celebration and events that occurred afterward. The Sixth Circuit affirmed the rulings of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, which had previously dismissed the claims and issued sanctions related to the litigation.

In its opinion issued March 13, 2026, the appellate court found that the plaintiff’s appellate briefing contained numerous misrepresentations of the record and citations to cases that did not exist or did not support the legal arguments presented. The court determined that these actions warranted sanctions under the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and the court’s inherent authority.

As part of its ruling, the Sixth Circuit ordered Glenn Whiting’s lawyers, Van Irion and Russ Egli, to reimburse the City and other appellees for their reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred during the appeals and to pay double court costs. The court also imposed additional financial penalties of $15,000 against each attorney and referred the matter for potential disciplinary review.

The Sixth Circuit chose $15,000 each because (1) the misconduct was spread across three cases instead of just one and (2) smaller fines have plainly been inadequate – as is evidenced by the continuous stream of cases raising the same problems.

The court emphasized that the sanctions were necessary to protect the integrity of the judicial process and to address what it described as repeated litigation misconduct, including reliance on fabricated legal authorities and mischaracterizations of the factual record.

The panel will retain jurisdiction to the extent required to enforce the terms of this opinion.