The winning McCallie team stands with presiding judge, the Hon. Gary R. Wade, Associate Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
McCallie School’s varsity mock trial team claimed its first state championship in more than a decade at the Tennessee State Mock Trial Tournament in Nashville.
After district qualifying rounds, the state competition pitted the 13 top mock trial teams from across Tennessee head-to-head through four rounds.
The championship round proved especially notable as it was an all-Chattanooga final, pitting McCallie against Chattanooga Southeast Tennessee Home Education Association.
The central issue in the case was whether or not the defendant, Mr.
Jesse Stewart, had intentionally set fire to his business, Denim ’N More, a fictional Tennessee textile manufacturer, in order to collect a multimillion dollar insurance policy. The plaintiff, McCallie, arguing on behalf of the insurance company, Mid-South Liability, sought to prevent a payout on the policy, while the defendant, CSTHEA, sought to ensure the payout for Mr. Stewart.
Members of McCallie’s winning team include seniors Will Anderson, Daniel Caballero, Carson Fallo, Brian Mu and Christian Talley along with junior Aaron Long. Juniors Scott Harvey, Grant McKown and Scott Shelton served as alternates.
Additionally, Daniel Caballero was named McCallie’s most valuable performer, while Christian Talley was selected third-best defense advocate and second-best plaintiff advocate for the entire competition.
McCallie earned its spot at state by going undefeated in the regional championship and emerging as the first seeded team from its district.
Jason Jones is the faculty advisor, and Alicia Oliver of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel served as McCallie’s attorney coach. The Honorable Gary R. Wade, Associate Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, presided over the final round.