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Big Prizes at Law Tech CLE Blast

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 6, 2018
Attendees at the Law Tech Blast on Feb. 16 will get the chance to win an Echo Show or Google Home Max. Topics to be addressed include: blockchain technology, smart contracts and the Bill and Phil Tech Show, which previews and reviews the latest tech gadgets.

Senator Amends Bill to Move AG Appointment to General Assembly

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 6, 2018
A Republican senator said he will alter his bill aimed at giving the Tennessee General Assembly authority to choose the next attorney general, the Times Free Press reports. Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, added an amendment from Sen. Art Swann, R-Maryville, that would allow Tennessee’s Supreme Court to nominate an attorney general and give the legislature power to confirm or reject the candidate. The current protocol allows the Supreme Court members to choose the AG themselves. An amendment to the state Constitution will be required to change the process.

Medearis Appointed New Eastern District Court Clerk

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 6, 2018
John Medearis of Chattanooga will serve as clerk of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee starting Feb. 13, the Hamilton County Herald reports. He succeeds Debbie Poplin, who has been appointed a U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, succeeding retiring Magistrate Judge Clifford Shirley. Medearis has served as chief deputy clerk of the district for the past 17 years. The Eastern District of Tennessee covers 41 counties, with offices in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Greeneville.

Gass Named 4th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 5, 2018
Gov. Bill Haslam appointed James L. Gass of Dandridge as Circuit Court Judge in the 4th Judicial District, extending a temporary appointment that had been made last October. On Oct. 18, Haslam appointed Gass as special judge due to the illness of Judge Richard R. Vance. Judge Vance died on Dec. 3, 2017, creating the need for Haslam to make an appointment to serve until the next general election. The 4th Judicial District serves Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke and Sevier counties. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Gass was a 34-year career trial attorney with extensive experience in civil trials and serving in both prosecution and defense roles in criminal cases.

Lawsuit Claims Memphis Nursing Home Drugged Patients

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 5, 2018
A lawsuit unsealed in federal court claims that a Memphis nursing home gave heavy anti-psychotic drugs to residents to keep them “docile,” The Commercial Appeal reports. The complaint was filed against Raleigh-based Spring Gate Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, alleging Medicaid and Medicare fraud, claims that the company prescribed the drugs “despite the fact that there was never a medically accepted indication justifying such heavy-duty medication.” Now the company must pay a $500,000 settlement and has entered into an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services to prevent such conduct in the future.

Nashville’s Mayor Barry Says Tax Dollars Did Not Support Affair

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 5, 2018
The office of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, who admitted last week to an extramarital affair with her head of security, released a statement regarding the details of trips she took on city business with bodyguard Rob Forrest, The Tennessean reports. Barry’s spokesman, Sean Braisted, said that Barry went on official trips to San Francisco, Kansas City and Athens, Greece, without any other security but Forrest, but that Forrest did not claim extra hours or overtime. However, Barry did stay extra days unrelated to official business in those cities, and Forrest stayed in a separate hotel room paid for by the city. 

Federal Judge Strikes Down Florida’s System for Felon Voting Rights Restoration

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 5, 2018
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has ruled that Florida’s system for restoring the voting rights of felons has potential for bias and violates the First and 14th Amendments, the ABA Journal reports. The current process endows the state’s governor with “unfettered discretion in restoring voting rights.” Nine people with felony records filed the federal case against Gov. Rick Scott. Walker’s decision contains a quote from Scott at a clemency hearing in which he told an applicant: “We can do whatever we want.”

Hixson Man Gets 47 Months in Prison for $2.7 Million Ponzi Scheme

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 5, 2018
Food-snack distributor Richard Alan Bazzell was sentenced to 47 months today for running a $2.7 million Ponzi scheme, the Times Free Press reports. U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee Harry Mattice handed down the sentence to the Hixson businessman and ordered him to undergo mental health counseling and repay $2.5 million to 22 victims. Bazzell’s scheme began in 2010 when he attempted to grow TrailSteaks, but prosecutors say he had spent all of his investors’ money by 2013.

ABA Opposes Bill Requiring Suspicious-Activity Reports by Lawyers

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 5, 2018
American Bar Association President Hilarie Bass says a proposed anti-money laundering bill would undermine attorney-client privilege and impose “burdensome and intrusive regulations” on small businesses and their legal representation, the ABA Journal reports. Bass made the statement in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, adding that the ABA commends lawmakers for fighting money laundering and supports “reasonable and necessary domestic and international measures to fight these illicit activities.” The bill would require lawyers to make suspicious-activity and money-laundering reports to the government.

SCOTUS Denies GOP Request to Block Gerrymandering Ruling

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Feb 5, 2018
The U.S. Supreme Court today denied a request to delay a court ruling in Pennsylvania that would require the state to redraw its congressional map, The Hill reports. Justice Samuel Alito denied the two requests — one from state Republican lawmakers and the other from Republican voters — to stay a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that said the current maps were gerrymandered in an unfairly partisan manner. The state court’s ruling gave lawmakers until Feb. 9 to submit a new map to the governor.
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