Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a bipartisan coalition of states in announcing a proposed settlement with Agri Stats Inc. to resolve allegations that the company illegally increased prices for chicken, pork and turkey products. According to a press release, the proposed settlement would prohibit Agri Stats from continuing several of the practices challenged in the lawsuit and impose safeguards intended to restore competition, lower prices and increase transparency in meat markets. In 2023, Tennessee joined the DOJ and other states in filing an antitrust suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota alleging Agri Stats facilitated anticompetitive information exchanges among meat processors by collecting and distributing detailed nonpublic pricing, cost, labor and production data among competitors. The proposed settlement remains subject to approval by the court following a public comment period.

The Tennessee State High School Mock Trial champion team from Agathos Classical School in Columbia earned an impressive third-place finish at the national competition in Des Moines, Iowa, last week. The team opened the tournament with victories over competitors from Guam, Iowa and Pennsylvania before narrowly falling to Utah in the fourth round — their only loss of the season — by the vote of a single juror. Coached by Jason Whatley, Cory Ricci and Luke Worsham, the school is celebrating its 10th season. It captured the Tennessee State Championship for the third time in March. The team previously earned a third place national finish before winning the national championship in 2019. In addition, Manhattan Thouin was recognized as one of the competition’s top attorneys. The teams from Florida and Georgia took first and second place respectively. To learn more about the mock trial competition sponsored by the TBA Young Lawyers Division, visit the TBA website. See photos from the national competition.

TBA's solo health plan keeps getting better. Three new affordable plan options have been added, bringing the total to seven plans available exclusively to TBA solo members. Whether looking for low premiums, low deductibles or an HSA-compatible option, there's a plan built for your budget. Monthly enrollment is available. Explore the options and enroll today.

The TBA’s annual Immigration Law Forum will take place May 15 at the new TBA office, located at 3010 Poston Ave., Nashville 37203. In today’s rapidly evolving immigration landscape, the forum will cover key policy updates and practical topics for Tennessee attorneys, including a legislative update from Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, practice management tips, an ethics discussion with the Board of Professional Responsibility on fee changes, and a session with Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition leadership on using court petitions for immigration advocacy. The in-person program will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT and offer up to five general credit hours. For more information and to register visit the TBA website. 

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has three openings on its board for the 2026-2027 bar year. Those interested in applying to be the District 10, 12 or 13 representative should email a statement of interest and resume to Director of YLD and Law School Development Laura Labenberg by May 28. District 10 includes the counties of Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart. District 12 includes the counties of Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion and Weakley. District 13 includes the counties of Chester, Decatur, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison and Tipton. Learn more about the YLD Board and this two-year position on the TBA website.

Four registered voters and four candidates — including current U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and state Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, who is running to challenge Cohen — in the Districts 5, 6 and 9 races on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, suing the state over the newly drawn congressional map. WKRN reports that the plaintiffs argue the new districts violate the First and 14th Amendments by placing an undue burden on voting rights and political association, and are seeking a permanent injunction to block the maps from taking effect in the 2026 election cycle. This lawsuit is in addition to the NAACP's emergency petition filed in Davidson County Chancery Court. The Tennessee Journal also reports on the developments. The new maps are available for download on the state comptroller's website, showing a detailed street-by-street breakdown of the new districts. The Nashville Banner analyzes 2020 census data and 2024 election results to show changes in racial makeup, density, political makeup and compactness between the previous Congressional map and the new map.

A University of Tennessee student has sued the companies behind the dating app Meete, alleging her image was used without permission in advertisements suggesting she was seeking sexual relationships, Reuters reports. According to the lawsuit, 19-year-old Kaelyn Lunglhofer discovered a TikTok video she posted on the day of her high school graduation had appeared in an online ad for the app accompanied by suggestive narration. Filed April 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the complaint alleges violations of Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, the state’s right-of-publicity protections and the federal Lanham Act. The lawsuit seeks at least $750,000 in damages and injunctive relief. Meete said it was unaware the content was being used in its promotions and has asked third-party marketing partners to remove potentially infringing material.

Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti has announced the state has reached a settlement with Mariner Finance over allegations the company violated multiple consumer protection laws through deceptive lending practices. The lawsuit alleged Mariner charged consumers for hidden add-on products that borrowers were not fully informed about or did not agree to purchase, increasing loan balances by hundreds or thousands of dollars and used aggressive sales tactics to push additional credit onto borrowers. According to a press release, under the settlement, Mariner will provide $11.1 million in consumer relief, including $1 million in restitution to eligible Tennessee consumers and $10.1 million through cancellation of covered consumer debt owed by impacted borrowers. The settlement applies only to Tennessee and does not affect other claims or litigation against the company.

Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, announced his candidacy for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District moments after the Tennessee General Assembly redistricted the seat, which had been held by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen for nearly two decades. The redistricting, triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court's April 29 ruling in State of Louisiana v. Callais, split Memphis into three districts and created a new 9th that stretches along Tennessee's southern border from Whitehaven to Lynchburg, also picking up the Nashville suburb of Brentwood. Taylor has pushed for federal intervention in Memphis crime and has criticized local officials over prosecution rates. The Commercial Appeal has the story.

Nashville-based law firm Bass, Berry & Sims announced Thursday that it has opened a Chicago office which will be led by new members Robert Newman and Jason Gordon. According to the Nashville Post, the office is located at 300 N. LaSalle Dr., Ste. 2400, Chicago 60654, and also will include current firm attorneys Bryan Bylica, Delaney Durst and Shelley Thomas. The firm added Newman, who is returning to Bass, Berry & Sims, and Gordon in part to expand its intellectual property, media and technology practice. Thomas will serve as a liaison between the Chicago and Nashville offices. In addition to Nashville and Chicago, Bass, Berry & Sims has offices in Knoxville, Memphis and Washington, D.C.