Mark your calendar for Dec. 1 and plan to attend the Annual Environmental Forum! More details will be available soon on the CLE website.

You can't win your case in a deposition, but it can be one of the most important discovery tools (if not the most important) in preparing your case for trial. This webcast program on Tuesday from noon-1 p.m. CDT will cover tips and techniques on taking depositions, defending them and using them as your case progresses, including how to prepare yourself and your client for depositions. Speakers will include Samantha Ellis of Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson (Knoxville); Jeffrey Moore of Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz (Memphis); and Quinton Thompson of Morgan and Morgan (Memphis).

The Division of State Audit in the Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury is currently conducting a performance audit of the Court Systems Indigent Defense Procedures for assigning, compensating and reimbursing private attorneys. Attorneys practicing in Tennessee are invited to participate in a brief survey. The questions in the survey should be interpreted to refer to cases where attorneys are appointed to represent indigent clients under Tennessee Supreme Court Rules 13, 40 and 40A. Click here for more information.

The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board will hear arguments during the bureau’s upcoming educational conference. The case, Martinez v. ACG Roofing Inc., involves an insurance coverage dispute and multiple alleged employers. The arguments will take place on June 15 at 1:45 p.m. CDT at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro.

Shelby County Criminal Judge A. Melissa Boyd was publicly reprimanded on May 8 by the Board of Judicial Conduct. According to the reprimand, Judge Boyd solicited resources and cash donations on Facebook to benefit a school, and the posts seeking those contributions from the public show her wearing her judicial robe. The board noted that judges “are expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct at all times and conflating judicial office to advance the private interests of others is prohibited.”

Nashville divorce and family law attorney Audrey Anderson is running for the Davidson County Circuit Court Part IV seat. The Nashville Post reports that she was previously a finalist for the seat but in January, Gov. Bill Lee appointed another local attorney. Anderson has almost 25 years of experience working on divorces, adoptions and other family law matters — the purview of the Part IV court — in Davidson County.

Former Nashville nurse RaDonda Vaught, who was convicted of homicide in 2022 after a medication error killed a patient, is seeking to have her nursing license reinstated by the Board of Nursing. The Associated Press reports that Vaught argues the board acted improperly by revoking her license after initially expressing support during her trial. Vaught’s attorney pointed out that the Department of Health initially reviewed Vaught’s errors and concluded the case “did not merit further action.”

U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-New York, was arrested today on 13 counts: seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Reuters reports that nine House Republicans have so far called on Santos to resign, including six from his home state of New York. But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, said the caucus would withhold judgment on Santos: "In America, there's a presumption of innocence, but they're serious charges. He's going to have to go through the legal process." The Hill reports that Santos has pleaded not guilty.

A civil lawsuit has been filed in Wilson County against the Chili's Southwest Grill & Bar in Lebanon and parent company Brinker International. The suit alleges that the restaurant knowingly overserved Sandra Lee Strickland, 71, and allowed her to leave intoxicated. Strickland was later involved in a wreck at the Lebanon Public Square on April 25, 2022 that killed 27-year-old Ashley Bailey. Strickland is charged with DUI first offense, vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless endangerment with a vehicle and failure to stop at the scene of an accident. The Tennessean has the full report.

On May 16, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley D. Rucker will preside over two naturalization ceremonies during which approximately 100 people are expected to take the Oath of Allegiance to become American citizens. The ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EDT in the Third Floor Courtroom of the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building, at 900 Georgia Ave. in Chattanooga.