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AG Files Suit Against Law Firm Targeting Grieving Families

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 26, 2017
Attorney General Herbert Slatery has filed a lawsuit against the Witherspoon Law Group in Texas, attorney Nuru Witherspoon and two investigators for unlawfully soliciting victims of the Chattanooga school bus crash. The AG’s office received reports that through investigators, the firm contacted victim’s families as they made funeral arrangements, despite state law prohibiting attorneys from solicitation within 30 days of a tragedy. The suit alleges that the investigators, Alphonso McClendon and Glen Smith, presented themselves as attorneys and pressured families to sign contracts.

Knox Mayor's Ex-wife Asks for Trial Relocation

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 26, 2017
Attorneys for Allison Burchett, the ex-wife of Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, plan to argue that it will be impossible for their client to get a fair trial from Knox County residents, the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports. Her lawyers will ask Special Judge Don R. Ash on Thursday to either use residents from outside of Knox County as jurors or hold the trial in Nashville. Allison Burchett is charged with identity theft and computer fraud for attacks against Nicole Strickland, the estranged wife of the defendant's current boyfriend.

Convenient CLE at Spring Blast

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 26, 2017

Need a few CLE hours fast? The TBA is offering programs from 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. on May 18 at the Tennessee Bar Center. The CLE Blast will offer 11 hours of dual CLE credit. Take as many or as few hours as you need. Registration desk will be open all day.

Feds File Lien on Former State Representative’s Property

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 25, 2017
The federal government has filed a $140,000 lien against property owned by former state Rep. Joe Armstrong to collect fees and restitution for his criminal tax case, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The lien was filed one week after a judge ordered Armstrong to pay a $40,000 fine and $100,000 in unpaid taxes to the IRS for filing a false tax return. Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips also ordered six months house arrest and 300 hours of community service.

Appellate Court Holds Jury Conviction in Cornfield Killing

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 25, 2017
The conviction of a man jailed in the 2013 beating death of a Cowan, Tenn. man whose body was found in a cornfield was upheld by the Tennessee Criminal Court of Appeals, the Times Free Press reports. Gordon David Jenkins was convicted in May 2015, the only one of four accused men to take his first-degree murder case before a jury, which found him guilty after less than two hours of deliberation. The victim, Corey N. Matthews, was believed to have been killed by fellow Aryan Nation members as punishment for talking to police.

Shelby County Commissioner in Court for Assault Charges

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 25, 2017
Shelby County Commissioner Justin Ford appeared in court today after being charged with aggravated assault/domestic violence and false imprisonment, the Commercial Appeal reports. Ford was arrested on Monday after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend in a parked car the night before. A judge has forbidden Ford from communicating with the alleged victim in the case. Ford was released Monday on $15,000 bond. 

DOJ Audit Highlights Serious Issues with CoreCivic Facility

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 25, 2017
Nashville-based CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America, is under scrutiny after a Department of Justice audit found safety issues, under-staffing and general lack of oversight at one of its Kansas prison facilities, the Tennessean reports. The audit found that correctional officer vacancies were as high as 23 percent, employees were not paid for sick time and prison officials tried to mislead accreditors at the maximum security Leavenworth Detention Center. The report also finds that the U.S. Marshal Service showed a “lack of effective continuous monitoring” and that they failed to punish CoreCivic for any of these transgressions despite acknowledging them.

Tennessee Attorneys Named to American College of Trial Lawyers

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 25, 2017
Five Tennessee attorneys were recently inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), after an extensive nomination process and a rigorous, confidential investigation into their qualifications. Lorna S. McClusky, Shea Sisk Wellford and Mark Vorder-Bruegge, Jr., of Memphis, Russell Reviere, of Jackson, and Joseph White, of Chattanooga, were chosen. The Memphis Business Journal reports that unlike other accolades lawyers can receive, the ACTL compiles a comprehensive list of all trial experience of the nominees and even interviews opposing counsel before making their selections.

Tour MTSU Horse Science Center at 2017 Animal Law Forum CLE

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 25, 2017

This year's Animal Law Forum will be hosted in Murfreesboro at the MTSU Horse Science Center on May 12. Sessions will focus on animal abuse resources as well as municipal ordinance enforcement. A special extended panel will address nonprofit management for both animal law specialists and general practitioners. New legislation and case law will be highlighted, as well as technology’s influence on the modern law practice. An optional tour led by Dr. Rhonda Hoffman will allow attendees to visit the facilities following the CLE. Read more and register here.

Third-Party Litigation Trend Growing

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 24, 2017
Commercial third-party litigation financing has grown from an uncommon occurrence in the 90’s — estimated at maybe $100 million worth of funding — to a $4 billion industry with at least 30 dedicated funders in 2017, the Memphis Daily News reports. This type of litigation is seen by funders as a way to diversify their investments, but it has drawn criticism from some, who suggest the financing helps “unmeritorious cases" move ahead because it spreads risk across a broad portfolio of litigation. Memphis attorney Lucian Pera offered a counterpoint, noting “Nobody puts $1 million into a $10 million claim if they’re not convinced there’s some merit there.”
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