Victim suing for millions in South-Doyle High sex abuse

A former South-Doyle football player who was sexually abused by his football coach's wife, is suing his abuser, Kelsey McCarter, her husband, Jason McCarter and the Knox County Board of Education for millions of dollars.

The victim is suing for at least $2 million, but is asking for punitive damages against the McCarters, according to a lawsuit filed in Knox County Circuit Court August 17.

The lawsuit outlines Kelsey McCarter’s sexual abuse from July 2015 to January 2016, from sexual acts performed with the juvenile, to a nude photograph that eventually landed in the hands of Knox County Schools officials.

McCarter is serving a three-year sentence in state prison after pleading guilty to six counts of statutory rape.

The lawsuit states the abuse began about a year after the teenager started living with the McCarters in June 2014. The lawsuit states Jeff McCarter asked the teen to leave in August 2015.

Between July 2015 and October 2015, the lawsuit alleges Kelsey McCarter performed sexual acts on the victim at least 11 times.

In January 2016, a South-Doyle Middle School teacher found out about a nude photograph of Kelsey McCarter that was circulating among students.

The information regarding the photograph eventually made its way to South Doyle High School principal Tim Berry and Vice Principal and football coach Clark Duncan.

The lawsuit claims that no school official reported the information to Knox County Schools until January 28, two days after the middle school teacher first learned of the nude photograph.

Becky Wuethrich with Knox County Schools told Berry to report the discovery of the photograph to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.

The lawsuit claims the victim suffered battery and infliction of emotional distress by Kelsey McCarter, negligence by Justin McCarter and both negligence and liability by the Knox County Board of Education.