A version of the following article appeared in the Aug. 17, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Parents’ lawsuit against Charlotte Latin can proceed, N.C. Supreme Court rules
A lawsuit filed against Charlotte Latin School in 2022 will go back to a trial court after a ruling Friday from the N.C. Supreme Court. (Ledger file photo)
by Tony Mecia
The N.C. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that two parents can continue their lawsuit against Charlotte Latin School, which kicked out the parents’ two children in 2021 after the dad objected to what he described as politicized curriculum.
The ruling keeps alive a suit by Doug and Nicole Turpin. They sued Charlotte Latin in 2022, a year after the school invoked a clause in its enrollment agreement that allows it to expel students if it believes a collaborative working relationship with parents has been made impossible. Charlotte Latin expelled the couple’s children, aged 11 and 13 at the time, during a heated meeting between the head of school and Doug Turpin, who had complained about the school’s increased focus on racial and social justice and transgender themes, according to court documents.
Charlotte Latin said it was within its rights to discontinue enrollment.
In the 5-2 Supreme Court decision, in which the court’s five Republican justices were in the majority, the court said it was not deciding the merits of the case but rather allowing the suit to proceed on procedural grounds. A Mecklenburg judge and the Court of Appeals had largely thrown out the Turpins’ suit, which alleges breach of contract, fraud, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and defamation.
The case will return to the trial court for additional proceedings.
Private school associations and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting Charlotte Latin’s side, arguing that allowing the case to proceed could undermine the ability of schools to govern themselves and make enrollment decisions. The court’s two Democratic justices wrote that the decision could “open the door to litigation against all private schools.”
More than a dozen Republican politicians as well as conservative educational groups filed briefs backing the Turpins. They argued that schools should not be immune from lawsuits if they retaliate against parents for raising concerns.
In a statement after the ruling, the Turpin family said the ruling signified that “woke schools and their administrators can be held accountable for treating children abusively in a manner not allowed by their contracts or by the laws of North Carolina” and called for Charlotte Latin to fire its head of school and “immediately begin the process of reform.”
Lawyers for Charlotte Latin did not respond to emails from The Ledger on Sunday.
Related Ledger articles:
“Tensions flare at Charlotte Latin” (February 2022)
“N.C. appeals court sides with Charlotte Latin on parents' lawsuit” (January 2024)