Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti today announced a settlement has been reached with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company contributed to the opioid addiction crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its stores. Walmart must pay $3 billion nationally and make significant improvements in how it handles opioids. Under the settlement, Tennessee and its local governments could receive more than $70 million if all incentives are met. State attorneys general on the executive committee, attorneys representing local governments and Walmart have agreed to this settlement, and it is now being sent to other states for review and approval. The settlement requires approval from 43 states by the end of the year. Read more from the Attorney General’s Office.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and attorneys general from 39 additional states have reached a $391.5 million settlement with Google over its location tracking practices relating to Google Account settings. Tennessee is set to receive $14,560,086.13 from the settlement, which is the largest multistate attorney general privacy settlement in U.S. history. The attorneys general opened the Google investigation following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed Google “records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to.” The attorneys general found that Google violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location tracking practices since at least 2014. The agreement requires Google to be more transparent about its practices. Read more from the AG’s office.  

Frost Brown Todd LLC has announced it is expanding to the west coast with the addition of California-based law firm AlvardoSmith, the Nashville Business Journal reports. AlvardoSmith, which has a presence in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco, will operate under the name “Frost Brown Todd AlvardoSmith” through 2023 and then take on only the Frost Brown Todd name. The firm has 23 attorneys, bringing Frost Brown Todd’s total presence to more than 575 attorneys. In Nashville, its office includes about 30 attorneys, making it the city's 12th-largest local law firm, according to Nashville Business Journal research. Terms of the merger, which will be completed on Jan. 1, 2023, were not disclosed.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC is accepting resumes for a mid to senior level associate with three or more years of litigation experience to join an active and diverse federal and state court litigation practice in Nashville. Candidates must have excellent legal writing and advocacy skills, experience taking and defending depositions, conducting discovery and engaging in motion practice. Trial experience preferred. The TBA’s JobLink site has more information on how to apply.

Anderson County attorney Joe Richard Judkins was today censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Following a disagreement with a client, Judkins refused to immediately transfer the client file to his client’s new counsel and asserted a valid attorney’s lien in the litigation and over the file materials Additionally, Judkins failed to adequately communicate with his client about the terms of the fees to be paid, failed to provide updates as to the accrual of fees at regular intervals during the representation and did not notify his client as to the amount of fees owed until after his representation was terminated. Finally, in an effort to defend his valid attorney’s lien for fees, Judkins received permission from the court to intervene in the litigation, but attempted to participate in the litigation beyond the extent the court deemed necessary.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee has announced she will retire on Aug. 31, 2023. Lee is currently the high court’s longest-serving member, having been appointed in 2008 and serving as Chief Justice from 2014 until 2016. Prior to her time with the Supreme Court, she spent four years on the Court of Appeals. “Serving in the Tennessee Judiciary for the past 19 years has been the greatest honor of my professional life,” Lee said. During her time on the court, Lee advocated for access to justice and spearheaded a variety of innovative projects, including the Business Court pilot project, e-filing implementation, a review of the state’s indigent representation system and a statewide docket cleanup initiative. Chief Justice Roger Page said Lee, the court's only East Tennessee justice, “has never forgotten where she came from and the people she serves.” Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp has introduced a resolution that would prevent high-level employees from using county resources for unofficial business and prohibit outside work that interferes with their day-to-day responsibilities, the Times Free Press reports. The change comes after a report that County Attorney Rheubin Taylor used his county email address and phone number as he worked on 80 cases while being employed full time by the county. Wamp attempted to fire Taylor last month, citing Taylor’s private work on county time. Commissioners then passed a series of resolutions reaffirming Taylor’s four-year contract and unanimously overrode Wamp’s subsequent veto of those resolutions. Officials have noted Taylor's contract allows him to conduct private work.

Five former Methodist Hospital employees have been indicted by a grand jury for conspiring to unlawfully disclose patient information in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). According to the indictment, between November 2017 and December 2020, Kirby Dandridge, Sylvia Taylor, Kara Thompson, Melanie Russell and Adrianna Taber were paid by Roderick Harvey to provide him with names and numbers of patients who had been in vehicle accidents. Harvey then sold that information to third parties, including personal injury attorneys and chiropractors. Read the press release from the U.S. Attorney, Western District’s office.

The Memphis Bar Association last week held its annual Access to Justice CLE & Pro Bono Awards program. MBA’s Access to Justice Committee holds the event each year to recognize judges, attorneys, law firms, legal departments and law students who have displayed a commitment to pro bono service and the pursuit of ATJ. Recipients of the 2022 Champion of Justice Awards were: Judge Deborah Henderson, Judiciary Category; Robin Warren, Public Interest Category; Dominique Defreece, Law Student Category; Memphis Area Legal Services, Law Firm Category; International Paper, Legal Department Category. Attorney Danielle Woods was honored with the Melanie R. Yelder Champion of Justice Award. See pictures from the event on the MBA’s Facebook page.