The Commercial Appeal is reporting that three TACOnganas food truck employees taken into custody Monday were arrested as part of an investigation into potential labor trafficking. A statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reads as follows: “ICE HSI Memphis [arrested] three Mexican nationals unlawfully present in the U.S. as part of a work site enforcement operation. This operation was based on information received related to potential labor trafficking. Two of the three men arrested had prior criminal convictions for immigration related violations." The paper reports that the Department of Labor has been investigating the company since November 2022. TACOnganas released a statement on Monday that it "complies with federal and local immigration laws."

Knoxville lawyer Herbert S. Sanger Jr. died Feb. 9 at the age of 88. A graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law, Sanger spent the bulk of his career working for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), where he started as a staff attorney and rose through the ranks to become deputy general counsel, associate general counsel and finally general counsel in 1975. He served as board chair of the TVA Retirement System from 1975 to 1986. In 1986, Sanger transitioned to private practice, joining the law firm of Wagner, Myers & Sanger. He also served as an assistant professor of administrative law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Sanger retired after 57 years of practicing law. Services were held today in Fountain City. Memorial donations may be made to the Beckly Area Foundation’s Oak Hill High School Alumni Association under the Shelton and Rita Sanger Fund, 1210 S Kanawha St., Beckley, WV 25801.

Electronic voting for the TBA's vice presidential election will close tomorrow. Members should have received an email on Jan. 31 with a ballot for the two candidates running for vice president. The email was sent from Intelliscan Inc. If you did not receive the email in your inbox, please check your spam folder or with your firm’s IT administrator. If you have any questions about the election process, please contact elections@tnbar.org.

Join the TBA and President Ed Lanquist Jr. in traveling north to Louisville, Kentucky, for a unique CLE experience! Urban Bourbon includes four hours of dynamic CLE programming with special guest speakers Brian Haara (author of "Bourbon Justice: How Whiskey Law Shaped America"), Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin and Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge W. Neal McBrayer, a welcome dinner at PROOF on Main and a tour and tastings at some of the most popular bourbon distilleries in the city. Urban Bourbon will take place April 4-5 in downtown Louisville. Programming will be held at the offices of the Louisville Bar Association, which is within walking distance of the host hotel. Get more information and register here.

An ethics complaint filed by Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, against Shelby County District Attorney (DA) Steve Mulroy has been dismissed, the DA's office has announced. In an interview with The Commercial Appeal, Mulroy said the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility dismissed the complaint, which contained four allegations. The board’s dismissal means there will be no further review of the complaint, according the paper. Taylor has filed multiple complaints against Mulroy, including a more recent one that remains under review. That complaint addresses Mulroy’s collaboration with Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon to explore allowing adult court judges access to juvenile court records for bail decisions. The dismissed complaint comes as Taylor continues efforts to remove Mulroy from office, alleging the DA has overstepped his authority and is interpreting the law based on personal beliefs, the paper reports.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has transferred the law license of Blount County lawyer Horace Maynard Brown III to disability inactive status after finding that he “is currently incapacitated from continuing the practice of law.” Brown will remain on inactive status until further order of the court. He may not practice law while on inactive status but may petition the court for reinstatement by showing the disability has been removed.

Gilson Daub, a workers’ compensation defense, subrogation and civil litigation law firm, has announced its expansion into Tennessee with the opening of a Nashville office. Attorney Jeff Powell, who joins as managing partner, will lead the firm’s presence in the region. Powell brings over a decade of workers’ compensation litigation experience, having practiced in Illinois since 2010 and Tennessee since 2021, according to a press release. Powell will be responsible for establishing and expanding the firm's Tennessee operations, bringing on new attorneys and clients, and introducing the firm's culture to the region. “Many firms operate under outdated models, but Gilson Daub stands apart with its structured, strategic vision. The technology, teamwork, and culture ... are unmatched, so I’m excited to bring that same energy and commitment to Tennessee,” Powell said. The firm currently serves 20 cities across 10 different states.

A federal judge in Delaware has ruled that Ross Intelligence violated copyright law when it copied content from Thomson Reuters to build a competing artificial intelligence-based legal platform. According to Reuters, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas' decision against the now defunct legal-research firm marks the first U.S. ruling on the closely watched question of fair use in AI-related copyright litigation. The "fair use" argument has become a key defense for tech companies, including OpenAI, Microsoft and Meta Platforms, fighting lawsuits brought by authors, record labels, visual artists and others over the use of their material to train AI systems. Tech companies argue that generative AI systems make fair use of copyrighted material by studying it to learn to create new content, while copyright owners say the companies use their work to generate competing content that threatens their livelihoods.

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga will celebrate Black History Month with a variety of events and activities. These include an art exhibit, screening of “The Six Triple Eight” movie, a panel discussion on Black excellence in sports and the Tennessee Songwriters Showcase Semifinals. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga also has events planned, including a library exhibit, talks with the first Black McDonald's franchisee in Birmingham and a presentation from Temple University's professor of Africology Molefi Kete. Finally, Hamilton Place will hold a Black-owned business expo on Feb. 22 and The Chattery will hold a Black History Month Night Market on Feb. 28.

The Elizabethton City Council is set to vote Thursday on whether to declare the municipal court judge’s seat vacant due to a temporary suspension of Judge Jason Holly’s law license. According to the Elizabethton Star, the Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Holly’s law license in October 2024 for failing to respond to three misconduct complaints. Since his suspension, Holly has not presided over court. In December, the council unanimously appointed 1st Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Stacy L. Street as acting municipal judge. In January, Holly filed a petition for reinstatement, asserting he had met all conditions set by the court by responding to the outstanding complaints. However, days later, the court issued a public censure against Holly for failing to formally respond to the complaints. A Jan. 17 order stated that proceedings on Holly’s petition to dissolve the suspension would begin with a hearing by the Board of Professional Responsibility.