A battle over insurance laws has landed before the state Supreme Court following a man hitting a bar owner in 2012 while driving an Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, The Tennessean reports. Edward Martin, owner of The Pond in Franklin, appealed after a Williamson County judge dismissed the case because Martin’s insurance company claimed its policy supplied to Martin did not cover the Enterprise rental. The rental is considered “self-insured,” not uninsured. "The Court of Appeals (which upheld the Williamson County decision) has created a hole in the coverage of every uninsured motorist coverage plan in Tennessee," Shea Callahan, Martin’s attorney, said.

The Daily News profiles Bruce McMullen, who is serving as chief legal officer for Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. McMullen, also a shareholder at Baker Donelson, says protection of employees and technology are two areas “that bear watching” in the present legal environment of cities. “When you’re working for the government, you have an obligation to inform them as much as possible, give out accurate information, without giving your strategies to the other side,” he said.

The Tennessean reports BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is appealing a recent decision by the Chancery Court for Tennessee's 20th Judicial District that says BCBST breached a contract with a general insurance agent. The court recently awarded James Walker, the president and owner of Individual Healthcare Specialists, $2.1 million after BCBST was found to have breached a commissions contract. BCBST argued that changes to the contract and commission structure on renewals were due to the Affordable Care Act.

The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Wednesday upheld Mississippi’s method of lethal injection, striking down arguments from death row prisoners who claimed the state’s drugs were not specifically approved by state law. The inmates argued that they “faced risk of excruciating pain and torture during an execution because they might remain conscious” after midazolam, a new drug recommended by the state, was administered. The judge said inmates will have to take up their issues with the method in state court. Read more from the Associated Press.

Henry County’s Courthouse Committee voted Tuesday to approve a new set of policies on the use of courtrooms and meeting rooms inside the county courthouse. The Paris Post-Intelligencer reports the policy now indicates who is authorized to use the rooms and also outlines the use of the rooms for ceremonial purposes. The new rules now go to the full County Commission for a vote later this month.

“Should teachers be given benefits if a hearing challenging the possible firing is delayed past 30 days?” The Tennessean reports Tennessee Supreme Court justices are weighing that question as they review the state law that sets procedures for how school boards must handle the firing of tenured teachers. State law currently requires that a hearing “shall” not be set later than 30 days after a teacher asks for it. The debate stems from a case brought by a former Memphis high school teacher who did not receive a hearing until a year after her suspension.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration earlier this month determined that the artificial intelligence system piloting a self-driving Google car could be considered the driver under federal law. Reuters reports the decision comes after Google in November submitted a proposed design for a self-driving car that has "no need for a human driver." "We agree with Google its (self-driving car) will not have a 'driver' in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than one hundred years,” NHTSA's letter said.

Following delays due to winter weather, the Chattanooga Bar Association last week presented awards and elected a new board at its annual meeting. Among awards presented, the late John Higgason, who died Jan. 21, received the Harry Weill Zealous Practice of Law Award for his career of more than 60 years in Chattanooga. CBA YLD representative Jeffrey Maddux received the YLD Volunteer of the Year. The 2016 CBA Board includes: Judge Christie Mahn Sell, president; Lee Davis, president-elect; Bill Colvin, secretary; Steve Jacoway, treasurer. Barret Albritton, Marc Harwell, Linda Norwood, Jeffrey Billings, Curtis Bowe and John Harrison will serve as board members. Read more from the Hamilton County Herald.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation's Interest on Lawyers Trusts Accounts recently awarded a $112,936 grant to the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. The non-profit law firm also received grants from The West End Home Foundation and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The contributions will enable Legal Aid Society to help low-income individuals and families find legal civil assistance.

Appellant, Melody Danielle Corum, entered guilty pleas to seven counts of aggravated burglary, seven counts of theft of property, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of vandalism, for which she received the agreed-upon effective sentence of twelve years, suspended after time served. Appellant’s probation was revoked after she was convicted of an additional theft of property offense; the trial court reinstated her probation and added a consecutive four-year sentence, suspended to probation, to her probationary term, for an effective sixteen-year term of probation.