Three former Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear oversight managers, who were removed from their posts after alerting the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to repeated safety concerns and violations, are now suing the utility in federal court. The trio filed suit last week in U.S. district court, Tennessee Lookout reports. They contend they were ousted from their posts in 2019 and targeted for public humiliation in retaliation for talking to the NRC and the TVA Office of Inspector General about safety concerns and intimidation of other whistleblowers. TVA argues the firings were justified because the workers did not have the needed “skills and abilities” to do the job.

Atlanta-based law firm Smith, Currie & Hancock announced today it has opened an office in downtown Nashville. The firm, which focuses on construction and government contracts, has acquired space in the One Nashville high-rise, according to the Nashville Post. Associate attorney Jeanne Harrison moved to Nashville to oversee the new office. She is joined by associate Alex Hoppestad. Partner Lochlin Samples will serve as resident partner for the Nashville office. Five other attorneys will serve Tennessee clients from the Atlanta office. They are William L. Baggett Jr, Philip E. Beck, K. Alex Jennings, Brent R. Laman and Steven J. Stuart. The firm cited development in Nashville as a driving factor for opening an office in the city.

The Office of the Post-Conviction Defender in Nashville is seeking an investigator to work with attorneys and paralegals to develop both guilt/innocence and sentencing claims on behalf of clients. Primary duties will include developing and maintaining a relationship with clients and their support system; record review; creation and/or maintenance of core case documents such as witness lists and timelines; identifying, locating and interviewing witnesses; and drafting a range of documents and reports. The investigator will also subpoena witnesses for evidentiary hearings and assist with managing the witnesses at the hearing. Application deadline is June 17. Learn more about this and other opportunities on TBA’s JobLink.

The Tennessee Dental Association (TDA) House of Delegates last month named Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle an honorary association member. The TDA noted Lyle’s work with the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, along with various nonprofits, to design and implement a grant process directing settlement funds from nursing home litigation to agencies assisting Tennessee seniors. It is estimated that more than 20,000 Tennessee seniors benefitted from Lyle’s funding program. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on the story.

TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson has been elected vice chair of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), which owns and operates the Nashville International Airport and John C. Tune Airport. The seven-member board of commissioners, appointed by the Nashville mayor and confirmed by Metro Council, governs and sets policies for the MNAA. The board is comprised of three business and finance representatives, two pilot representatives, one engineering representative and one legal representative. Stevenson was appointed in 2020 by Mayor John Cooper and previously served as board secretary. She also worked in the role of vice chair of the board’s Diversity Committee, secretary for the Management Committee and a member of the BNA Vision and Finance Committee. Bill Freeman was reelected as board chair and James Granbery was elected secretary. Read the full release.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday heard oral arguments in Jacob Engineering’s challenge to lawsuits that allege workers were sickened or died after cleaning up the coal ash spill at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in 2008. Jacobs contends that the workers’ claims should fall under a Tennessee law that limits legal challenges involving exposure to silica, a component of coal ash. The workers' attorneys argue the silica law was never meant to apply to cases like theirs. Jacobs has twice asked the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to find that it is immune from being sued because it was acting on behalf of the TVA, a federal agency. The court ruled against the company both times. The state Supreme Court became involved after a federal judge asked it to interpret the state law. The Associated Press has the full story.  

Nashville School of Law (NSL) celebrated the graduating class of 2022 on Saturday during its 114th Commencement Ceremony in Nashville. Eighty-two graduates were cheered on by more than 1,000 family members, friends and NSL faculty and staff during the event, which included addresses from Dean William C. Koch Jr. and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby. Koch congratulated the class on their “tenacity, resilience, and agility” in overcoming challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirby spoke on the importance of democracy and how lawyers can bring people together. “People can talk to each other more civilly and more constructively about how to solve problems when they first come to a general agreement about the basic facts,” Kirby said. “That is what lawyers do, every day.” Read the full event recap here.

The Law Firm of David Bates is seeking an associate attorney to join its office in Franklin. The firm is general practice, with a focus on litigation defense of businesses throughout Middle Tennessee. One year or more of experience is preferred. To apply, send resume, writing sample and law school transcript to David Bates. Find this posting and others on the TBA's JobLink site. 

Attorney Amanda Moore has announced she will be running to keep her seat on the school board for Murfreesboro City Schools. Moore, co-founder of the Tennessee Center for Estate and Elder Law PLLC, has served on the board for four years. A member of the Rutherford-Cannon County Bar Association and the Middle Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, Moore has taught as an adjunct at Vanderbilt Law School and Middle Tennessee State University. She is a graduate of Yale Law School. In the release announcing her campaign, Moore says she has “worked hard to be transparent, accessible, and fair” through difficult times, including the loss of the director of schools, rezoning and a global pandemic.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today permanently disbarred John Terence Tennyson from the practice of law. A panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) determined that Tennyson knowingly retained $10,000 in funds belonging to his client for his own financial benefit and refused to refund the money despite a written fee agreement requiring a refund. He also knowingly deceived his client about the process for receiving payment of the misappropriated funds. In addition to disbarment, Tennyson must pay restitution in the amount of $10,000 to the client and pay all costs incurred to the BPR.