The Flood and How We Responded

The 'volunteer spirit' was never more evident than in West and Middle Tennessee in the days and weeks following the May 1-2 storms that dumped flood-level water on the state. The Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS), and many other organizations quickly became a clearinghouse...

Reinstated

Clinton E. Hagaman, formerly of Knox County, was reinstated to the practice of law on March 29 after being on disability inactive status.

Nashville attorney Mary Belle Langford was reinstated to the practice of law on March 30. She had been suspended on March 10 for failing to respond to a...

In criminal trials Rule 29.1 governs the issue of waiving closing argument. Part (a) applies to the state's first argument. Only if both prosecutor and defense counsel jointly agree can that argument and all others be waived. Part (b) applies to the defense argument. It contains this sentence: "If the defendant waives this closing argument, the state is...

"Once-revered South Carolina lawmaker freezes to death." The article was buried on the back page of my Sunday newspaper.  Juanita Goggins  at age 75 froze to death in her home. She had been dead for  over a week before a concerned neighbor contacted the landlord who then called authorities. She had dementia.

In my 32 years as an employment lawyer, I have written a slew of articles on silly or uninformed actions by employers that resulted in large verdicts. This article analyzes a different situation — behavior by a separating employee so objectionable that it resulted in a large verdict, including exemplary damages. The decision in this case places value on...