Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, maker of the popular Uncle Nearest whiskey, is facing a $108 million lawsuit from lender Farm Credit Mid-America over alleged loan defaults. The lender claims the company failed to repay over $102 million in principal, misused funds to purchase a $2 million Martha’s Vineyard home and overstated whiskey inventory by $21 million. According to the Tennessean, Uncle Nearest attributes the financial issues to fraud by a now-terminated former chief financial officer and argues that appointing a receiver is an excessive response. Despite the lawsuit, the company, which has grown rapidly since launching in 2019 and is now valued at $1.1 billion, says it has continued making significant loan payments and is working to resolve the default. The Nashville Post also reports on the lawsuit.

Defense attorney Juni Ganguli on Tuesday argued before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals that the judge in Cleotha Abston's 2024 rape trial erred by allowing jurors to see a photo of a gun allegedly used in the crime, despite the victim’s vague description of it. According to the Daily Memphian, Ganguli claimed the gun’s admission and a witness’s reference to Abston’s later murder of Eliza Fletcher unfairly prejudiced the jury. Ganguli also criticized police for not preserving text messages between Abston and the rape victim, though judges pushed back noting Abston also had access to them. The state argued the evidence against Abston was overwhelming. Abston was sentenced to 80 years in prison for three charges related to the 2021 rape of Alicia Franklin.

Autopsy reports have confirmed that two Shelby County Jail inmates, who died earlier this year, suffered from medical complications. Darin Crawford, 57, died of pneumonia after being found unresponsive in his cell on Feb. 9, while Courtney Berry, 36, died of heart complications, including aortic dissection, on March 30 after complaining of chest pain. Both men had been in custody for less than a month. Their deaths are among at least seven at the jail in 2024 and 64 since 2019. The ongoing deaths and overcrowding have renewed calls for a new $1.3 billion criminal justice complex at the former Firestone plant in North Memphis. The Daily Memphian has the story.

Brown University's School of Public Health identified 579 nursing homes nationwide that are at risk of closure due to Medicaid cuts in the recently passed federal budget legislation. The bill reduces federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over the next decade. The Commercial Appeal reports that 12 of the nursing homes are in Tennessee. These facilities meet key risk criteria, including having over 85% of residents on Medicaid, occupancy rates below 80%, and low federal quality ratings. Tennessee’s TennCare program serves about 1.5 million residents, covering roughly 20% of the population and half of all children and births. The findings echo a separate University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study, which listed nine Tennessee rural hospitals among more than 300 nationwide endangered by the budget reduction.

Judge Robert Wedemeyer recently was elected presiding judge of the Criminal Court of Appeals, officially assuming the role on Aug. 1 from Judge Camille McMullen. Wedemeyer will be responsible for presiding at all meetings of the court and at trials, ruling on the admission or exclusion of evidence, serving as the spokesperson for all matters pending before the court, and writing or designating another judge to write majority opinions. “We just have an outstanding group of judges on our court,” he said. “It is a huge honor to be elected. To serve on this court 25 years and that’s part of it because usually we lean toward the senior most judge, if that judge is willing to serve and can do a good job. So, apparently these other 11 think I can do it okay so I will do my best.” Read more in a profile from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Judge Robert Lynn Echols Sr. died Aug. 2 at age 84. A 1964 graduate of the University of Tennessee School of Law (now Winston Law), Echols joined the Tennessee Army National Guard in 1966, embarking on a military career that spanned nearly four decades and eventually rising to the rank of brigadier general. After a brief time in Washington, D.C., he settled in Nashville and was a founding member of the Dearborn & Ewing law firm. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in 1991, and served as chief judge from 1998 to 2005. Echols continued to serve the court as a senior judge until 2010. He later practiced law with Bass, Berry & Sims and Neal & Harwell until his retirement in 2019. Services were held Wednesday. Memorial contributions may be made to Abe's Garden Community, 115 Woodmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37205.

TBA's "Raising the Bar" program will be held Nov. 19 at Baker Donelson in Nashville. Breakfast will begin at 9:15 a.m. with programming from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A networking reception will follow from 4:30 to 6 p.m. All times CST. Stay tuned for updates on this annual favorite produced by the Women in the Profession Committee.

Do you want to read a Tennessee Bar Journal article from 30 years ago? Did you miss an issue of TBA Today or a section Connect newsletter? You can access the archives of all TBA publications online. Journal issues going back to 1965 are available as PDFs; TBJ Select, which was launched in 2020, can be viewed as an online publication; nearly 20 years of TBA Today issues are available for viewing; and section Connect newsletter archives are available on each section's homepage in the right hand column under "Group Menu." Log in to your MyTBA account for full access to all of these great publications.

The TBA's Estate Planning Tee-Off is returning on Sept. 12 to Nashville's Topgolf. Produced by the Estate Planning & Probate Section, this annual favorite will feature three hours of CLE programming designed for attorneys new to the estate planning practice as well as those interested in adding this field to their portfolio. Don't miss this unique opportunity to build practice knowledge and fine-tune your drive game all in one day! Registration includes breakfast, lunch and two hours of Topgolf following the presentations. Get more information and register here. Section members enjoy discounted registration. Not a section member? Join now for additional savings and benefits. Thanks to our lunch sponsor Pinnacle Financial Partners, golf experience sponsor Southeastern Trust Company and breakfast sponsor Diversified Trust.

The Knoxville Municipal Court and the Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will host a reception and portrait unveiling honoring City of Knoxville Municipal Judge John R. Rosson Jr., who served in the role for 37 years. The event will be Aug. 6 from 5 to 6 p.m. EDT at the City of Knoxville Municipal Court, located at 1650 Huron St., Knoxville 37917. Members of the local legal community are invited and should register on the KBA's website.