Terrell Owens served with defamation suit by Nolan Wells' friends

Terrell Owens was served with a federal defamation lawsuit on Sunday, Nov. 8, at a fan event in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was in town for his alma mater UT Chattanooga's homecoming weekend, according to the New York Post. The first reports of the service landed late that night, at 11:20 PM ET.

The footage is short. The New York Post says video shared by attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik shows a process server approaching Owens at what looked like a meet-and-greet. Owens took the papers, gave them a once-over and set them on a table before going back to his event, per the same report. Atlanta Black Star places the event at the Mocs Bookstore, per a quote from Paltzik, and says the server was already several feet away by the time Owens realized he was holding legal paperwork.

Who is suing, and over what

The plaintiffs are not Nolan Wells. They are three of his friends: Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour. Fox News reported on Oct. 7 that their fathers filed the suit on their behalf. Wells was 18 when he disappeared from a Fourth of July gathering on Mississippi's Horn Island, and his body was found two days later, per Atlanta Black Star.

According to the New York Post, the complaint was filed Oct. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Paltzik and attorney Jarrett Tyler Cox signed it. It claims Owens defamed their clients on social media. The suit says Owens posted on X a link to an Instagram video containing an unfounded theory that the three were responsible for Wells' death. His caption, per the suit, read "ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!!"

Fox News says the post is dated Sept. 26 and remains online. It links to a reel by creator Trent Out Loud that accused the three of deleting Snapchat messages from Wells' phone and suggested they might be responsible for his death. Atlanta Black Star quotes the caption with a longer tail: "ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!! LIKE YESTERDAY!!"

"There was absolutely no evidence to prompt an arrest of the Plaintiffs because they had done nothing wrong, and there was no probable cause to arrest Plaintiffs because they had not committed a crime."

the complaint, as quoted by Fox News

These are the plaintiffs' claims. Nothing in the reports read shows a court has ruled on any of them. None of them states the damages sought.

The response

Owens has said nothing about the merits in the reports read. His reply to the service came on X. Atlanta Black Star and EssentiallySports both quote him answering Paltzik: "Hey Edward. Not worried. God is good." The New York Post adds that Owens later shared a video from a UT Chattanooga basketball game on Instagram and re-posted another user's video with the caption "It's still Justice for Nolan Wells."

Atlanta Black Star says it reached out to Owens' team for a statement. The reports read do not include one. In its Oct. 7 report, Fox News said Owens and SMAC Entertainment, which lists him as a client on its website, did not immediately respond to its requests for comment.

Paltzik, for his part, kept the scoreboard running. Atlanta Black Star quotes his post saying Owens was handed "a copy of our powerhouse federal defamation suit. No autograph required. Luck always runs out." The same outlet says an Oct. 30 tweet from the attorney claimed Owens was "evading process servers." The reports read carry no response from Owens to that claim.

What happens next

The reports read give no hearing date, no deadline for Owens to answer the complaint and no next filing. They also give no damages figure. All three are unknown for now.

Backstory

Fox News reports that on Sept. 22 a Mississippi grand jury said Wells' death was "consistent with drowning" and declined to recommend charges against anyone. The same report says the family's forensic pathologist classified the death as "undetermined." Wells' family has called for a federal investigation, per Fox News.

EssentiallySports reports that Owens offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Atlanta Black Star says Owens has been outspoken about accountability for Wells since July.

As of Nov 9, 3:03 PM ET, the record shows a complaint filed Oct. 5 in the Southern District of Mississippi and papers handed to Owens on Nov. 8, on video. Pending: any court response from Owens, a damages figure and a schedule. MrMuscles will update when a filing or statement says more.