The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) Barristers today announced that Eighth Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Zachary Walden will take office as president of the group after being elected on Dec. 7. Other officers named for the young lawyer group include Vice President Charles S.J. Sharett and Secretary/Treasurer Jimmy Snodgrass. New board members are Matt Knable and Isaac Westling. The Barristers also presented President’s Awards to Mariel Bough and Grant Williamson, co-chairs of the Diversity Committee.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its Annual Meeting this morning with the passing of the presidential gavel from Jason H. Long to Loretta G. Cravens, announcement of other officers and the presentation of awards. Cravens, an attorney with Cravens Legal, announced that she would focus on servant leadership, civility in public discourse and equipping members to serve their clients. Other officers elected were President-elect Carlos A. Yunsan, Treasurer Jonathan D. Cooper and Secretary Rachel Park Hurt. The KBA's highest award, the Governors' Award, was presented to Elizabeth B. Ford, while the Judicial Excellence Award was presented to Judge Steven W. Sword. Other award recipients were Brooklyn Sawyers Belk, who received the President’s Award and John E. Eldridge, who received the Outstanding Writing Award. Read more in a release from the association.

An investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Inspector General has found that the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence unlawfully retaliated against and then forced out an employee who blew the whistle about potential misuse of federal funding. Employee Veronica Quinonez was “constructively discharged” in 2019 after raising concerns about being forced to answer phone calls from victims, some who were in crisis. She said answering the calls violated the strict rules of the Centers for Disease Control grant that paid her salary. The investigation found she was also made to keep two timesheets – one for work she was supposed to be doing under the grant and the other reflecting what she was actually doing, which included handling calls from abuse survivors. A joint report from WPLN and the Tennessee Lookout details the investigation and prior troubling findings about the nonprofit.  

An assistant district attorney in the Shelby County District Attorney's Office was last night charged with a DUI, the Commercial Appeal reports. According to the responding officers, Timmerman allegedly hit and knocked over a utility pole near Overton Park. The affidavit claims Timmerman’s speech was “very slurred” and she told officers she had previously been drinking at a restaurant. Timmerman was sworn in as an ADA in mid-November and was previously a defense attorney.

The Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission is again asking lawmakers for more support as it tries to navigate the implementation of a new state law, the Tennessean reports. The commission is tasked with issuing statewide guidance on the library materials law, including what is age-appropriate, which is not settled in state law, in addition to establishing an appeals process for local decisions on contested materials. The guidance is still in draft form despite a Dec. 1 due date. Commission members yesterday voted in favor of requesting a review from Tennessee's attorney general or the Department of Education's legal team. "We have gotten zero guidance from any attorneys, and we're just out here as volunteers doing this," said commission member and Tipton County Schools superintendent John Combs.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was today released from a Russian prison as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange in which the U.S. released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the Associated Press reports.  “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” President Joe Biden said from the White House. He added that Griner would be back in the U.S. within 24 hours. Bout, a felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” is a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Baylor University All-American and Phoenix Mercury pro basketball star who was arrested in Russia in February for bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil in vape cartridges into the country. The U.S. failed to secure the release of Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan who has been jailed in Russia since 2018. Whelan was arrested on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government have said are baseless.

The Rutherford & Cannon County Bar Association held a portrait unveiling this week for longtime Rutherford County General Sessions Judge David Loughry. Friends and colleagues of Loughry attended the event, which was presided over by Judge Ben Bennett. Bennett thanked Loughry for his 24 years of service to the county and attorneys Steve Waldron and Ben Parsley shared personal stories and memories of time spent with Loughry. The portrait will hang in the courtroom for Division II of the Rutherford County General Sessions Court. Loughry served on the bench from 1990-2014. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims has announced that the settlement approval process in Memphis will change effective Jan. 3. Starting on that date, settlement approvals will take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9-11 a.m. CST. Approvals will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Lawyers must be in the courtroom, ready to present, by 11 a.m. to have their settlements heard that day. No settlements will be scheduled in advance, but parties are asked to submit a petition for settlement approval 48 hours before the date desired. Read more from the court about these new processes.

Washington, D.C., attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit yesterday against SmileDirectClub, alleging the Nashville-based company requires customers to sign nondisclosure agreements in order to receive refunds. This action, Racine says, prevents consumers from making informed purchasing decisions. The suit is seeking a court order to invalidate the requirement and bar the company from using deceptive business practices. It also is seeking restitution for consumers and imposition of civil penalties. SmileDirectClub said its policy follows American Association of Orthodontics guidelines for refunds. The Nashville Business Journal has more from both sides of the dispute.

A multi-state action against JUUL Labs Inc. has resulted in a $434.9 million settlement. Of that total, Tennessee is slated to receive approximately $13 million, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced today. The pay-out is the result of a 34-state investigation into JUUL’s marketing and sales practices, which found the company tailored their products and advertisements to minors. In addition to the financial settlement, JUUL agreed to refrain from a number of marketing tactics, including using cartoons, depicting persons under 35, selling brand name merchandise, using paid influencers, and advertising on billboards, public transportation and most social media.