The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) welcomes Erin Lynch to its professional clinical team. Lynch has a master of education degree in counseling psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University New York. She also holds a bachelor of arts degree in Asian & Middle Eastern studies and political science from the university. She has completed the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and is under supervision as a licensed professional counselor in Tennessee. In addition, she has past experience as a paralegal in the realm of domestic violence.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will launch its inaugural Diversity Law Week March 11-16, 2024, across the state, and is looking for attorneys and judges to provide high school students with a unique opportunity to learn firsthand from professionals. Students will shadow legal professionals during the week as well as engage in an immersive experience at a college or law school campus and observe a court proceeding. The goal of the program is to give high school students early exposure to the legal world and resources for a career in law. Those interested in volunteering to help the program are asked to register online. Thanks to YLD President Quinton Thompson for his vision for this program and program coordinators Chattanooga lawyer Ariel Anthony, Memphis lawyer Kevin Christopher and Nashville lawyer Erin Shackelford. Contact TBA Young Lawyers Division & Law Student Development Coordinator Laura Labenberg with any questions.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced yesterday that no charges will be filed in the death of Jarveon Hudspeth, who was shot by a county sheriff's officer during a traffic stop. The sheriff's office says the officer was injured after being dragged over 100 yards during the incident. A redacted version of the video of Hudspeth's death was released. Mulroy also announced the release of video in three other officer-involved shootings previously determined not to warrant charges, the Commercial Appeal reports. All videos are now available on the district attorney’s website. The release of redacted videos is in accordance with a new policy to release footage of fatal shootings sooner.

The Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society recently held a reception to honor the current, outgoing and new members of the court. Retired Justice Sharon Lee and incoming Justice Dwight Tarwater specifically were recognized. The reception took place at the Nashville office of Holland & Knight. See photos from the event. The society was created in 1995 to ensure that the records and history of Tennessee courts are preserved and accessible to residents of the state. In addition, the organization works to educate Tennesseans of all ages about the rule of law and the importance of an independent judiciary.

Disability advocates are raising concerns about state leaders considering the rejection of $1.8 billion a year in federal education funding. The Tennessean reports that funding, designated through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), protects the education rights of more than 135,000 Tennessee children with a disability. Federal education funding also supports Title I and other federal programs for low-income students and school lunch programs. Read more about the developing issue from the paper.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced yesterday that Tennessee and 32 other attorneys general have reached a settlement with health care clearinghouse Inmediata for a coding issue that exposed the protected health information of approximately 1.5 million consumers for almost three years. Under the settlement, Inmediata has agreed to overhaul its data security and breach notification practices and make a $1.4 million payment to states. Tennessee will receive $71,273 from the settlement. Inmediata was accused of violating state consumer protection laws and breaching notification laws and HIPAA by failing to implement reasonable data security or providing affected consumers with timely and complete information regarding the breach.

U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz in the Western District of Tennessee has joined with the U.S. Department of Justice in commemorating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). DVAM pays tribute to victims and survivors and salutes the dedication of advocates, service providers, justice professionals, law enforcement officers and first responders. Purple Thursday, observed today, is a National Day of Action during DVAM and an opportunity to raise awareness about domestic violence and promote safe communities.

Walgreens Boots Alliance has agreed to pay $192.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit by investors in Rite Aid who accused Walgreens of downplaying scrutiny from U.S. antitrust regulators in 2017 over a pending merger between the drug store chains. Reuters reports that the deal, filed in a Pennsylvania federal court last week, is subject to approval. Walgreens ultimately scrapped the takeover plan in 2017 after failing to win approval from the Federal Trade Commission. The settlement with investors follows an announcement Monday that Rite Aid had filed for bankruptcy protection after struggling with high debt from opioid litigation. Under the current proposed bankruptcy plan, the company's shares would be dissolved with no compensation to shareholders.

WPLN’s new podcast series "The Kids of Rutherford County" will debut with two episodes on Oct. 26, with episodes three and four to be released Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. The new program, which was produced in partnership with ProPublica, The New York Times and Serial Production, will build on investigative reporting on the juvenile justice system in Rutherford County, where children were being arrested and illegally jailed for over a decade. The series will be hosted by Meribah Knight, who won a Peabody award for the second season of The Promise, which examined resegregation occurring in two East Nashville elementary schools.

The Nashville Council accepted a $3.4 million state grant today that will partially reimburse Metro Police for the salaries of 62 existing school resource officers in Nashville's public middle and high schools, reports the Tennessean. The council approved the funding 23-12, with two abstentions. This year, 30 school resource officers have been assigned to Nashville's public middle schools while 16 — two per school — are assigned to Nashville's public high schools. The state grant will reimburse the Metro Nashville Police Department up to $75,000 per officer. Deputy Police Chief Chris Gilder said that the remaining $3 million will likely be used for officer overtime. Council members who voted against the bill cited contradictory language about the role officers would have in responding to discipline issues.