Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services staff attorney Kirsten Jacobson will “takeover” the American Bar Association’s Grassroots Action Center Twitter account tomorrow to talk about her experience with the public service student loan forgiveness program. The Twitter discussion is part of a three-day conference in Washington, D.C. in which bar leaders take to Capitol Hill to advocate for the legal profession and honor select ABA advocates and lawmakers for their commitment to “Justice for All.” The conference will be virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jacobson’s Twitter takeover will begin at 1:45 p.m. CDT.  

Attorney General Herbert Slatery has reached a settlement with Matthew and Noah Colvin of Hixon, who had stockpiled hand sanitizer and antibiotic wipes to sell online. Slatery’s office issued a stop and desist order to the Colvins last month and they surrendered the approximately 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to a nonprofit organization. In the settlement, the Colvins are prohibited from selling emergency or medical supplies grossly in excess of the price generally charged during any declared state of abnormal economic disruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more from the Attorney General’s office.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law will host a free legal advice clinic by phone this month for members of the public in Knoxville who are dealing with issues in adoption, bankruptcy, child custody and support, employment and many other areas. Those interested in  receiving free one-time legal advice must register between April 20-24 by calling Legal Aid at 865-637-0484. A volunteer attorney will then contact the registrant on April 28, 29 or 30.

A proposed class action lawsuit is taking aim at Ticketmaster and Live Nation over their refund policies for events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Law360 reports. The suit, filed in California federal court on Friday against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, alleges the company retroactively changed its policy in March to say it would only refund canceled, not postponed, events, even if they are indefinitely postponed. Ticketmaster President Jared Smith in a letter to lawmakers said the company intends to "refund as many tickets as possible in as timely a fashion as is feasible.” He went on to write that, of the 30,000 events impacted by the virus, 12,000 have been canceled and the company is working on refunds. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory, statutory and punitive damages for claims including breach of contract, conversion, unjust enrichment and false advertising.

Nashville attorney Harold Scott Saul yesterday received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Saul failed to adequately communicate with his client and was not diligent in the representation which caused the client to terminate the attorney-client relationship. Saul partially reimbursed his client, but failed to reimburse additional fees advanced to him that were deemed unreasonable as he had not provided any substantive representation in the matter. The court found Saul in violation of rules 1.3, 1.4, 1.15 and 8.4(a). He must reimburse his client $750 in fees within 60 days.

Adams and Reese today announced Stephen Wolf has been named as the firm’s chief operating officer based in the New Orleans office. Wolf was previously chief operating officer at Deutsch Kerrigan LLP in New Orleans and prior to that was the firm administrator at Lugenbuhl Wheaton Peck Rankin and Hubbard and Martzell & Bickford APC, both in New Orleans. “Stephen’s leadership qualities and outstanding credentials make him an excellent fit for the Adams and Reese leadership team,” said Gif Thornton, the firm’s managing partner. 

The Nashville Bar Foundation announced Bone McAllester Norton attorney Edward M. Yarbrough as the 2020 recipient of the David Rutherford Award. The award is given to a fellow who exemplifies the memory and ideals of David Rutherford, which include professionalism, charitable contributions in the legal field and in the community and the spirit of collegiality among bench and bar. The NBF also inducted the 2020 Class of Fellows into the foundation. See the full list of Fellows here.

The Tennessee Judiciary Museum will be featured on the NBC television show “Roots Less Traveled” tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. CDT. The show features pairs of family members who set out to solve mysteries from their family trees. Part of tomorrow’s episode was shot at the museum, which is operated by the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society and located in the former library space of the Tennessee Supreme Court Building in Nashville. Take a look at the trailer for tomorrow’s episode.

In a unanimous opinion today in Ken Smith Auto Parts v. Michael F. Thomas, the Tennessee Supreme Court clarified the procedure and jurisdiction for an appeal from a county general sessions court to a state circuit court. The court found that when defendants appeal a general sessions judgment to circuit court, but then fail to appear for the circuit court trial, Tennessee law requires circuit courts to enter a default judgment against the defendant, subject to enforcement in the circuit court, and retain jurisdiction over that case. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has delayed the execution of Oscar Franklin Smith, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tennessean reports. Smith was set to be put to death on June 4, but his attorneys last week filed a motion to delay the execution, arguing it would possibly expose witnesses, lawyers and others to COVID-19. The defense team also claimed that public safety measures hindered their ability to represent Smith. Smith, 69, was convicted in the 1989 murders of Judith Lynn Smith, 35; Chad Burnett, 16; and Jason Burnett, 13, in Nashville. His new execution date is set for February 2021.