FORT SMITH, AR / ACCESS Newswire / October 14, 2026 / Fort Smith trial lawyer Joey McCutchen of McCutchen Napurano – The Law Firm announced that former Northside High School football coach Felix Curry has reached a $525,000 settlement with the Fort Smith School District. The district’s school board approved the settlement on Aug. 24, and the parties agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice upon payment. According to the complaint, the district removed Curry from his positions as head football coach and campus athletic coordinator and reassigned him to work as a detention-class monitor, without explanation.

Curry filed suit on Feb. 18, 2025, against the district, its board of education, and the then-superintendent, challenging the reassignment as unlawful because it was made without board approval, according to the complaint. An amended complaint added a claim under the Arkansas Civil Rights Act, alleging that the district’s treatment of Curry, and its later decision not to renew his contract, was the product of racial discrimination.

As detailed in Curry’s response to the district’s motion for summary judgment, supported by sworn deposition testimony from district administrators, Curry was treated differently from similarly situated white head coaches who were retained for additional seasons despite comparable or substantially worse win-loss records, according to the filing. Curry was the first African American to serve as head football coach in the district, and had no negative evaluations and no documented complaints during his tenure at Northside, the filing states. Under his leadership, the program developed initiatives aimed at helping students become successful players on the field and productive adults off it.

“I’m grateful for current Superintendent Marty Mahan and the Fort Smith Public School District for attempting to right a wrong. I am excited to move on to the next chapters of my life, both professionally and personally,” said Felix Curry, former head football coach at Northside High School.

“It has been a pleasure to help Coach Curry during one of the most challenging times in his life. He is a man of character and passion, who cares about our community, our school district, and the thousands of players he has coached and mentored over his 12 years in Fort Smith and his 31-year coaching career. The next school to hire Coach will be lucky indeed,” said Joey McCutchen, Attorney at McCutchen Napurano – The Law Firm.

Under the settlement, the district provided Curry with a letter of recommendation on district letterhead. The resolution ends the litigation without any admission on the discrimination claims. The case is Curry v. Fort Smith School District, et al., Case No. 66FCV-25-209, filed in the Circuit Court of Sebastian County, Arkansas.

About McCutchen Napurano, The Law Firm
McCutchen Napurano, The Law Firm is a personal injury practice based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, representing injured people and families across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas in serious injury and wrongful death cases. The firm handles auto accidents, commercial truck and tractor-trailer accidents, medical malpractice, premises liability, brain injury, defective product, and other high-stakes civil litigation. In 2026, both Joey McCutchen and Stephen Napurano were named Arkansas Trial Lawyers of the Year by the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association. Founded by Joey McCutchen, the firm has obtained some of the largest verdicts and settlements in Arkansas history, including record-setting results in Sebastian and Crawford County. Joey McCutchen is licensed in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, serves on the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association’s Board of Governors, and has contributed to national trial-strategy publications such as Reptile in the Mist, while Stephen Napurano is licensed in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Together, McCutchen Napurano, The Law Firm has built a reputation for taking on difficult cases and delivering huge results for injured people and their families on a no-win-no-fee basis, with free consultations always offered.

Media Contact:

Organization: McCutchen Napurano, The Law Firm
Address: 1622 N B St
City: Fort Smith
State: Arkansas
Zip: 72901
Country: United States
Phone: (479) 806-4878
Email: mccutchen@cloud816.com
Website: https://www.mccutchenlawfirm.com/

SOURCE: McCutchen Napurano – The Law Firm

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