Cessoley Monique Tezeno sued UT-Battelle, LLC — the entity that operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory — in the Middle District of Tennessee, alleging civil-rights violations arising from her employment at the lab. UT-Battelle moved to dismiss for improper service and improper venue, or in the alternative to transfer the case to the Eastern District of Tennessee under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a).
Chief U.S. District Judge Campbell, sitting in the Middle District's Nashville Division, granted the transfer. The court concluded that both private- and public-interest factors strongly favored the Eastern District, where all relevant events occurred, where the witnesses are located, and where the sources of proof are most accessible.
Tezeno argued that transfer would merely shift the inconvenience to her, and pointed out that UT-Battelle is a 50/50 partnership with the University of Tennessee, which has locations in the Middle District. The court was unpersuaded, noting that all operative facts in the complaint arose in the Eastern District and that the Middle District has no connection to the events or to the plaintiff.
Tezeno's choice of forum received reduced deference because she resides in Texas and her chosen venue had no connection to the alleged civil-rights violations at the core of her suit. The court cited Van Cleave v. University of South, 607 F.Supp.3d 783, 789 (M.D. Tenn. 2022) for that proposition.
The clerk was directed to transfer the action to the Eastern District of Tennessee. The case originated as No. 3:25-cv-00718 in the Middle District and is now docketed in the Eastern District as 3:26-cv-00164.
Editor's note: The order identifies the presiding judge as "JUDGE CAMPBELL" and "CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE" but does not provide a full first name. Source metadata lists a different judge name; the presiding judge's full identity should be confirmed before publication.