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Officers Charged with Abusing Background Check System

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 8, 2017
Two Franklin Police officers have been arrested on charges of using the background check system unrelated to police investigations, the Associated Press reports. A Williamson County grand jury indicted former officers Britton Douglas Cornell and Ryan Wayne Dugger this week on one count each of official misconduct and official misuse of information. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the pair used the Criminal Justice Portal System for excessive inquiries on days off and after hours.

Prosecutors Say Bookkeeper for Christian Group Stole $394K

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 8, 2017
The bookkeeper for Titus International, a Christian organization based in Chattanooga, stole $394,000 from the group, Chattanoogan.com reports. Gwen Lively has agreed to plead guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She had been with Titus since 2010, and federal prosecutors accused her of beginning the scheme shortly after she joined. She used two methods to defraud the group: transferring funds from the Titus account into one controlled by her, and using pre-signed checks with the director’s name to make them payable to herself.

Sheila Butt to Retire from State House

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 8, 2017
Tennessee state House Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, announced this week that she will not run for reelection in 2018, The Columbia Daily Herald reports. Butt was first elected to the seat in 2010. She said that after her term is complete next year, she will devote her time to her ministry, called “Sisters, Servants and Soldiers.” Butt’s District 64 encompasses most of Maury County, but excludes downtown Columbia and a sliver of the western portion of the county. 

ABA Ethics Opinion: Judges Using Internet to Search for Facts Poses Ethical Problems

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 8, 2017
A new American Bar Association ethics opinion finds that while judges may conduct legal research online for cases not cited by the parties, using the internet to find facts concerning the parties or subject matter of a case poses ethical problems, the ABA Journal reports. Finding “adjudicative facts” about a case is already generally banned by the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, but an exception allows judges to go online for facts that are subject to judicial notice because they are generally known and not subject to reasonable dispute. The opinion also offers guidelines for judges to conduct independent factual research.

Pilot Flying J Trial: Former President on Tape Making ‘Inflammatory Racial Epithets’

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 8, 2017
As a part of an investigation into the Pilot Flying J fraud scandal, former president Mark Hazelwood was captured on tape making what a judge called “vile, despicable, inflammatory racial” comments, Knoxnews reports. U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier said that if the tapes had been made public while Hazelwood was still president, black employees who had been fired would have cause to sue. Collier said he will allow the recordings to be heard by the jury in the case against Hazelwood and three other former employees.

Chattanooga Ethics Roadshow on Dec. 14

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 8, 2017
Use the pre-paid credits that come with your TBA Complete Membership and register free for TBA's Ethics Roadshow. The program will be held in Chattanooga on Dec. 14 and offer three hours of dual/ethics CLE. This year's program will focus on the 13 reasons why ethics issues are more complicated than ever. Also watch for Ethics Roadshow stops in Knoxville, Jackson and Johnson City. 

Davidson County Lawyer Placed on Disability Inactive Status

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 8, 2017

The law license of Anthony Adgent was transferred to disability inactive status on Thursday, pursuant to Section 27.3 of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9. Adgent cannot practice law while on disability inactive status.  He may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court upon showing clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed, and he is fit to resume the practice of law.

TBLE Petitions Court to Amend Rules to Permit Adoption of UBE

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 7, 2017
The Tennessee Board of Law Examiners (TBLE) has petitioned the Tennessee Supreme Court to amend Rule 7 to permit the adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). The TBLE “has determined that uncertainty regarding the composition of the July 2018 bar examination until after the comment period ends on Jan. 30, 2018, will adversely affect the applicant effects to prepare,” the filing reads. See the full petition here.

Comptroller: Paperwork Making TennCare Harder Than Necessary for Vulnerable Enrollees

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 7, 2017
Investigators from the Tennessee Comptroller’s office said that an overly complicated, 98-page renewal form is making it difficult for low-income enrollees to maintain their health coverage, WPLN reports. The investigation was requested by House Speaker Beth Harwell, and revealed that TennCare routinely requests information from enrollees that the agency already knows, and that enrollees sometimes don’t even receive their forms. Michele Johnson from the Tennessee Justice Center said that the forms are so dense and complicated that doctors and lawyers regularly call their offices for help.

Founder of Online Legal Community Rebrands as LawyerSmack, Creates Membership Fee

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 7, 2017
Keith Lee, founder of online legal community Lawyer Slack, has updated and rebranded his brainchild as LawyerSmack, the ABA Journal reports. Running off of Slack, the community originally started as a part of Lee’s legal blog Associate’s Mind. Lawyer Slack grew to nearly 600 members who exchange 15,000 to 20,000 messages a week on 100 channels. Lee has added functionality to the new LawyerSmack and will charge an annual $99 membership fee.
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