CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A temporary restraining order has been granted for the Ajax Turner Senior Center nonprofit saying the City of Clarksville has no authority to force them out of their Clark Street building or take over their operations.

This comes after a lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit against the city, Mayor Joe Pitts, and four former members of the community’s Senior Citizens Board, at the end of July.

According to documents obtained by Clarksville Now, the temporary restraining order was granted Tuesday by Chancellor Kimberly Lund. It states that all defendants, along with “all persons in active concert or participation with them,” are restrained and enjoined from the following:

  • Evicting, locking out or dispossessing the center from 953 Clark Street, or removing, transferring, or disposing of the center’s property, charitable assets, equipment or records.
  • Taking any action on, or giving any effect to the July 16, 2026, surrender vote or the city’s July 17, 2026, Notice to Vacate.
  • Making or continuing to make false or misleading statements to the center’s employees, vendors, banking institutions, or the government agencies that license or regulate the center – including the Tennessee Department of Human Services – concerning who controls or is authorized to act for the center.
  • Interfering with the center’s staffing, vendor relationships, banking relationships or its relationship with the Tennessee Department of Human Resources and its licensed Adult Day Care program.

The motion also recognized the authority of Senior Citizens Board chairman Jimmy Parker, as well as vice chairman Jill Turner Crow, to act for and on behalf of the center, including to conduct the center’s banking and financial transactions.

The motion said that the center has shown a “probability of success on the merits” in regard to the city holding no title and no right to immediate possession of the property on Clark Street. “And Tennessee forbids self-help eviction – no person may enter and detain lands expect where entry is given by law,” said the legal documents.

A hearing on the plaintiff’s requested, and granted, temporary injunction is set for Aug. 18, at 9 a.m., at which each party may present their arguments and proof, including live testimony and documentary exhibits.

Clarksville Now has reached out to the nonprofit’s attorney Pete Olson, as well as the City of Clarksville, for comment.

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