TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on May 16, 2025

The Tennessee Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled in favor of the City of Memphis in a lawsuit brought by Alicia Franklin, who was raped by Cleotha Abston in 2021. The court affirmed that the city is protected from suit over Franklin’s claims that Memphis police failed to properly investigate her case. Abston later kidnapped and killed Memphis schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher in 2022. Franklin alleged in her lawsuit that the Memphis Police Department could have prevented Fletcher’s abduction had her rape been thoroughly investigated in the year prior, The Daily Memphian reports. Abston was convicted in April 2024 in Franklin’s case and pleaded guilty in October 2024 to Fletcher’s abduction and killing.