Clarksville Teacher Who Showed Nudes To Student Sued By Victim

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Tennessee Conservative News [By Paula Gomes] –

The Clarksville teacher who is accused of showing nudes to a female student is now being sued by his victim.

Makenzie Ellithorpe has filed a civil lawsuit against former Montgomery Central High School science teacher Matthew Vedder, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) who employed him, and Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder who is the director of CMCSS and Vedder’s wife.

The complaint alleges that CMCSS hired Vedder under a district provision which allows employees to work as an educator without first having a teaching license. The suit also claims that Vedder wasn’t screened properly, and was also not adequately supervised when interacting with his students.

Ellithorpe is asking for damages to the tune of $3.5 million and has requested a trial before a jury.

Vedder resigned his position within CMCSS in April, a month after the allegations that he showed nude photographs of himself that were on his phone to 17-year-old Ellithorpe.

He was finally arrested last month.

The 19th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office that serves Montgomery County recused itself from the case, referring the matter to the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference who assigned it to District Attorney General Thomas Dean in Sumner County.

Vedder, 52, has been charged with four counts of supplying obscene material to minors which is a Class A misdemeanor, and could face up to 11 months and 29 days in prison and/or a fine of up to $2,500 on each count if found guilty.

The case will be prosecuted by Sumner County Assistant District Attorney General Nathan Nichols. 

During a June school board meeting, the victim’s mother, Ashley Ellithorpe, called for Luna-Vedder’s resignation during public comment.

Luna-Vedder continues to lead the district, having recused herself from any investigation or disciplinary proceedings having to do with her husband.

Additional Sources:

WKRN

NewsChannel5

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.