United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle took arguments under advisement today during a motion hearing related to a lawsuit filed by the owner of a former classic car and auto shop in Roanoke Rapids.

While the full document was not immediately available for public inspection in electronic court records, a minute entry in the case of Vivian Pompliano, owner of Pomp Boys Motors, notes that counsel for all parties met in Raleigh for the hearing. Boyle heard arguments from all sides, and a written order is to follow.

The hearing was scheduled to address a motion for the dismissal of the federal complaint filed by Pompliano, as well as arguments from her attorney to proceed to trial.

The city of Roanoke Rapids, along with two of its officers who are defendants in the lawsuit, filed a motion in March to have the case dismissed. The attorney for former Roanoke Rapids police officer Jamie Lee Hardy also filed a similar motion.

The lawsuit alleges that Hardy, along with Antonio Seward and Jayme Shelburne, engaged in “extreme misconduct” that contributed to the demise of the business.

The suit, originally filed in July 2024, also claims that through a repeated pattern of harassment, threats, and eventually false criminal charges, the officers intended to protect the financial interests of local mechanics and car shop owners by retaliating against the plaintiff’s constitutionally protected speech and actions.

The defendants argue otherwise, stating there are no genuine issues of material fact and that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

Lloyd C. Smith III, a Windsor attorney representing Pompliano, argues that the motion to dismiss should be denied based on a lack of probable cause, misleading the court, fabricated evidence, malice, fruits of labor issues, and a lack of qualified immunity.