Shaundelle Brooks has officially announced her bid for the Tennessee House of Representatives. Brooks will run in the Aug. 1 primary to seek to represent District 60 in Old Hickory, where Democrat Darren Jernigan is not seeking reelection. In 2018, Brooks’ son Akilah DaSilva was killed during a shooting at a Waffle House, which left four people dead. Later, Brooks’ eldest son was shot in the head and seriously injured while leaving a music venue. Since then, she has become a passionate advocate for gun reform. “For five, six years I’ve been going up to the capitol, begging and pleading and trying to bring change,” she said, “And, it hasn’t happened. So I just decided that I have to be the change that I need to see.” WPLN has more on her campaign as well as two other first-time candidates who are running for the General Assembly.

Knoxville City Councilwoman Seema Singh has suspended her campaign in the Democratic primary for the Tennessee House seat currently held by Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville. Singh, who represents the city’s Third District and is in her second term, explained her decision saying, “… when Gloria announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate, I decided to run for House District 90 to protect this seat, in the name of the same principles for which Gloria stands. Now that Gloria has decided to run for both U.S. Senate and the District 90 seat, I know it is in everyone’s best interest for me to suspend my campaign.” Singh said she would seek the seat again if Johnson is elected to the U.S. Senate, Knox Focus reports.

The Chattanooga Chapter of the American Inns of Court has raised $21,437 for The Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC). The fundraising effort included the sale of auction items and individual donations, Chattanoogan.com reports. CAC Director of External Affairs Lisa Moore said the funding would be used to continue the center’s essential services to child sexual abuse victims and their families. More than 200 lawyers and judges belong to the local chapter of the Inns of Court, which aims to improve the skills, professionalism, ethics and civility of the bench and bar. This year’s president is Michael Alston, managing partner of Husch Blackwell's Chattanooga office.

Former Tennessee Department of Corrections officer Sebron Hollands has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years of supervised release for writing a false report in an effort to cover up another officer’s use of excessive force on an inmate. Hollands pled guilty to the offense on Oct. 2, 2023. The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, which says that Hollands was present when fellow officer Javian Griffin, without justification, punched an inmate in the head, breaking the inmate’s jaw. After the incident, Hollands provided false information in his official use of force report in order to obstruct an investigation of the incident. Read more in a news release from the office.

U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson last Thursday rejected motions to dismiss a federal bribery and kickback case against former House Speaker Glen Casada and his onetime chief aide Cade Cothren. The trial was rescheduled for Nov. 6, more than two years after the indictments were handed down, Tennessee Journal reports. It was last scheduled to begin on March 5.

NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. In this multi-district litigation, plaintiffs claim that saxagliptin, a diabetes drug, caused their heart failure. During expert discovery, plaintiffs presented a single expert to show the drug can cause heart failure. After a Daubert hearing and expert motions, the district court excluded the expert, finding that methodological flaws rendered his testimony unreliable under Federal Rule of Evidence 702. The district court then granted summary judgment for defendants, rejecting plaintiffs’ claim that other evidence created a genuine issue of material fact as well as their request for ninety days to find a replacement expert.

On appeal, plaintiffs challenge the district court’s exclusion of their expert, its grant of summary judgment, and its refusal to give plaintiffs more time to find another expert witness. Because we conclude all three claims lack merit, we AFFIRM.

This is the third iteration of this action in this court concerning Plaintiff’s claims against Defendant for fraud, constructive fraud, negligent misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, unjust enrichment, and violation of the Tennessee Securities Act, codified at Tennessee Code Annotated section 48-1-101, et seq. The claims arose out of the purchase of assetbacked securities that were later deemed unmarketable, causing a significant financial loss to Plaintiff. This particular appeal concerns the trial court’s granting of summary judgment in favor of Defendant based upon the applicable statute of limitations. We now affirm.

The YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee will hold its next “Stand Against Injustice” event on Feb. 28. This month’s program will address whether DEI is dead. The group notes that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts undertaken following the death of George Floyd have been impacted by mass layoffs and shuttered programs. In a free webinar from noon to 1 p.m. CST, community and industry leaders will discuss whether DEI can survive. Register here.

Following a hearing on the state’s request for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA’s illegal name, image and likeness (NIL)-recruitment rules, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti spoke to the media and released a prepared statement. Among his comments, Skrmetti said, “Due to the NCAA’s arbitrary and illegal rules, student-athletes are being harmed and prevented from making important decisions concerning their name, image and likeness rights — which may have a big impact on their academic and financial futures. Antitrust law in this area is clear, and as the court has previously said, our case is likely to succeed on the merits. We are happy with the case’s progression and look forward to litigating it fully if necessary.” Read the full statement. The UT Daily Beacon reports on the hearing while Knox News has photos from the day.

Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Director Michelle Long testified before the House Finance Committee last week, telling lawmakers it has been nearly 27 years since Tennessee boosted pay for court-appointed attorneys, who often handle difficult cases involving children and families. The current situation, she said, is approaching a crisis point, the Tennessee Journal reports. Long asked the committee to restore at least some of the funds needed. She also asked the committee to fund a new human resources staff member and a full-time staff member to manage the Supreme Court’s “Justice Bus” program. The committee is conducting hearings on Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed 2024-2025 budget, which did not include funding requested by the AOC for these expenses. The TBA continues to support the AOC’s request to increase the reimbursement rate for indigent representation. Watch her tesimony beginning at 1:40:50. Please visit the TBA Government Affairs webpage for more information and to get involved with its grassroots efforts.