Federal Magistrate Judge Joe Brown is recommending that Baptist Healing Trust's suit against Pension Benefits Guaranty Corp. be dismissed, noting that 2,000 Baptist Healing pensioners will have have no recourse to recover their pensions if the case proceeds. Baptist Healing, which sold most of its assets to Ascension Health, claims the hospital is exempt from federal regulation because the Employment Retirement Income Security Act contains an exemption for "church plans.” Read more from the Nashville Post. 

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that the state has spent more than $200,000 on legal representation for the University of Tennessee in response to a federal Title IX lawsuit filed against the school earlier this year. The school’s lawyers have until Thursday to file a response to the suit. 

A live broadcast CLE Friday at several Baker Donelson offices will train non-immigration-law practitioners on how to aid eligible unaccompanied children with obtaining predicate state court orders for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Immigrant Children and Tennessee Family Courts: Challenges and Avenues for Relief is scheduled from noon - 2 p.m. EDT and approved for two hours of CLE credit. The course is free if you agree to take a case pro-bono. You may choose the location you want to attend through the online registration.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission today forwarded to Gov. Bill Haslam three nominees for the impending Chancery Court vacancy in the 20th Judicial District, which serves Davidson County: Paul Charles Ney Jr. of Nashville, Matthew J. Sweeney III of Nashville and William Edwin Young of Brentwood. The vacancy will be created by the retirement in September of Chancellor Carol McCoy. 

The TBA is starting the Legal Assistance Volunteers for Patent Applicants (LAVPA), a pro bono program that will match individual inventors and small businesses with patent attorneys to assist inventors in obtaining a patent for their inventions. There are several ways attorneys and law firms can assist with the program. Those interested in supporting the program may contact LAVPA Coordinator J. Scott “Skip” Rudsenske, (615) 277-3207, or seek him out at the TBA Convention beginning tomorrow in Nashville. 

University of Tennessee College of Law students and faculty successfully gained clemency for Emlera Quince, a man sentenced to 25 years in prison for cocaine charges. The 55-year-old was represented through the college’s Federal Clemency Clinic, which ultimately submitted a 147-page clemency petition on Quince’s behalf. President Obama made the decision to commute Quince’s sentence on June 3.  

Tony Parker, a 33-year veteran of the Tennessee Department of Correction, was today appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam to serve as TDOC commissioner. Parker will replace Derrick Schofield who announced his resignation earlier this month. Parker has served five administrations, beginning his career as a correctional officer and serving since 2012 as assistant commissioner of prisons, according to a news release from the governor’s office. 

The retrial of former Vanderbilt University football player Brandon Vandenburg began this morning in Nashville. The Tennessean reports that Deputy District Attorney General Tom Thurman today indicated that the state will use Vandenburg's statement to police for the first time. It includes Vandenburg admitting to having sex with the woman the next day and attempting to conceal evidence.

Defendant, Jeremy Glen Nichols, pleaded guilty to the vehicular homicides of A.D. (Count 1) and Teri Ann David (Count 2), the aggravated vehicular homicides of Teri Ann David (Count 3) and A.D. (Count 4), driving under the influence of an intoxicant (DUI)(Count 5), third offense DUI (Count 6), failure to yield resulting in death (Count 7), driving on a revoked license (DORL) (Count 8), DORL with a prior DUI (Count 9), and fourth offense DORL (Count 10). The trial court imposed an effective sentence of 44 years, 11 months, and 29 days.

Following a jury trial, Antonio Henderson (?Defendant Henderson?) and Marvin Dickerson (?Defendant Dickerson?) (collectively, ?the Defendants? or ?both Defendants?) were each convicted of one count of especially aggravated robbery (Count 1), one count of attempted second degree murder (Count 2), two counts of attempted aggravated robbery (Counts 3 and 4), one count of aggravated assault (Count 5), and one count of employing a firearm during the commission of or attempt to commit a dangerous felony (Count 6).