The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday heard oral arguments in Jacob Engineering’s challenge to lawsuits that allege workers were sickened or died after cleaning up the coal ash spill at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in 2008. Jacobs contends that the workers’ claims should fall under a Tennessee law that limits legal challenges involving exposure to silica, a component of coal ash. The workers' attorneys argue the silica law was never meant to apply to cases like theirs. Jacobs has twice asked the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to find that it is immune from being sued because it was acting on behalf of the TVA, a federal agency. The court ruled against the company both times. The state Supreme Court became involved after a federal judge asked it to interpret the state law. The Associated Press has the full story.  

Nashville School of Law (NSL) celebrated the graduating class of 2022 on Saturday during its 114th Commencement Ceremony in Nashville. Eighty-two graduates were cheered on by more than 1,000 family members, friends and NSL faculty and staff during the event, which included addresses from Dean William C. Koch Jr. and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby. Koch congratulated the class on their “tenacity, resilience, and agility” in overcoming challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirby spoke on the importance of democracy and how lawyers can bring people together. “People can talk to each other more civilly and more constructively about how to solve problems when they first come to a general agreement about the basic facts,” Kirby said. “That is what lawyers do, every day.” Read the full event recap here.

The Law Firm of David Bates is seeking an associate attorney to join its office in Franklin. The firm is general practice, with a focus on litigation defense of businesses throughout Middle Tennessee. One year or more of experience is preferred. To apply, send resume, writing sample and law school transcript to David Bates. Find this posting and others on the TBA's JobLink site. 

Attorney Amanda Moore has announced she will be running to keep her seat on the school board for Murfreesboro City Schools. Moore, co-founder of the Tennessee Center for Estate and Elder Law PLLC, has served on the board for four years. A member of the Rutherford-Cannon County Bar Association and the Middle Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, Moore has taught as an adjunct at Vanderbilt Law School and Middle Tennessee State University. She is a graduate of Yale Law School. In the release announcing her campaign, Moore says she has “worked hard to be transparent, accessible, and fair” through difficult times, including the loss of the director of schools, rezoning and a global pandemic.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today permanently disbarred John Terence Tennyson from the practice of law. A panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) determined that Tennyson knowingly retained $10,000 in funds belonging to his client for his own financial benefit and refused to refund the money despite a written fee agreement requiring a refund. He also knowingly deceived his client about the process for receiving payment of the misappropriated funds. In addition to disbarment, Tennyson must pay restitution in the amount of $10,000 to the client and pay all costs incurred to the BPR.

Time to meet the Communications Team! This is Ateia Aldridge, TBA’s Young Lawyers Division & Law Student Development Coordinator! Ateia works with the YLD to plan programs, meetings and special projects like pro bono clinics, the annual Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition and the award-winning Diversity Leadership Institute -- just to name a few. In her spare time, Ateia loves gardening and teaching her two and four-year-old boys how to grow and care for their flowers, fruits and veggies!

The #TeamTBA series offers members a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the TBA and how each staff members makes the association run. Check back every Wednesday for a new staff profile in TBA Today and on the TBA's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Gov. Bill Lee on Friday signed a the campaign finance and ethics bill into law, the Associated Press reports. The bill, which was opposed by several influential advocacy groups, requires politically active nonprofits to disclose spending totaling at least $5,000 within 60 days of an election on communications that contain a state candidate’s name or likeness. It also requires political committee leadership to provide identification. “I think that transparency is a good idea,” Lee said earlier this month. “I think that whenever we have transparency into organizations that politically lobby, that’s a good thing.” Opponents of the bill include Americans for Prosperity, Tennessee Right to Life and the National Rifle Association.

Legal services company Latitude has named Anne McKnight as director of legal recruiting and placement in the company’s Nashville office, the Nashville Post reports. McKnight was most recently senior counsel at Ogletree Deakins and has also worked at Wimberly Lawson Wright Daves & Jones and Howell & Fisher. In her new role, McKnight will work with attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals on placements at law firms and in corporate legal departments. Since being established in Nashville, Latitude has expanded into several markets across the country, including Boston, Miami and Minneapolis.

A lawsuit filed last week by the mother of a Hawkins County eighth grader says the county’s school system failed to act after her son was repeatedly subjected to racially-motivated attacks, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The lawsuit says the student, who is biracial, was subjected to a “racially-hostile school environment” where he was called by a “barrage” of “racial epithets” and taunted with hate-based drawings and caricatures. The suit says officials from the Hawkins County Board of Education “knowingly tolerated, condoned, and were deliberately indifferent to the pattern of racial harassment suffered by” the plaintiff’s son. School officials “vehemently” deny that the system “tolerates racial discrimination or harassment of any kind.” The suit seeks an injunction against the school system to prevent further abuse and $2.5 million in damages.

The Board of Judicial Conduct has issued an order of suspension for Roane County General Sessions Judge Dennis W. Humphrey. The suspension stems from an October 2021 incident in which Humphrey received citations for having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle and for failing to use due care and a February 2022 incident in which he was charged and pleaded guilty to a DUI. Humphrey will be suspended for 30 days effective July 1. He will also be monitored by and adhere to the recommendations of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program for a period of five years consistent with his Substance Use Disorder Recovery Monitoring Agreement. Read the order from the Administrative Office of the Courts.