TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Oct 18, 2022

Michael Reed, who lost his wife and two daughters in the 2016 Gatlinburg wildfire, on Thursday filed a malpractice suit against the attorneys who represented him in his federal case against the National Park Service, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Reed’s new suit alleges attorneys Sidney Gilreath and Gordon Ball were unfamiliar with and did not follow the process for filing a Federal Torts Claims Act and failed to file pertinent documents with the court. Reed’s new attorney, David Randolph Smith, argues the original lawsuit would have been successful if the paperwork had been completed correctly. Reed sued the National Park Service for failing to warn people about the incoming flames against the park's policy. In the new suit, Reed is seeking $13.5 million in damages as well as other costs.