A Davidson County jury on Friday found a former security guard not guilty of murder in a fatal shooting outside a Nashville restaurant where he was working, reports the Associated Press. Nathan Glass faced an indictment for second-degree murder in the death of Deangelo Knox, who was engaged in a shootout outside the Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden. Prosecutors argued that Knox was fleeing assailants who were firing on him. Glass’s attorneys contended he was protecting himself and patrons when Knox turned toward the restaurant holding a gun. A lawsuit filed by Knox’s family against Glass was settled privately. Glass had been admitted to the police academy prior to the shooting. His entry into the program was paused during the investigation. He resigned in 2021.

Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted by a grand jury in Georgia Monday night in connection with efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state, the Associated Press reports. The 41-count indictment includes charges of violating the state’s racketeering act and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath. Defendants include Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump’s former personal lawyer, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison. Trump has been given until noon Aug. 25 to turn himself in to authorities in Fulton County. Trump is currently facing three other criminal indictments. 

Save the date for the Juvenile & Children's Law Forum to be held via Zoom on Oct. 27. This program is designed for newer Juvenile & Children's Law practitioners and will feature topics such as adverse childhood experiences and secondary trauma, guardian ad litem basics and neglect actions, guardian ad litem work in termination of parental rights cases, and much more. Visit the course page to register.

Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile announced yesterday he has drafted legislation that would make any threat of violence against four or more people a felony, reports the Tennessean. Threats would include the use of firearms, vehicles, a bomb or other weapon. Penalties would be increased for threats against schools, churches, government buildings or other locations where 250 or more people gather daily. Currently, a threat of mass violence at a school is a misdemeanor offense. Haile plans to file the bill during the Tennessee General Assembly’s upcoming special session.

Quinton Thompson, president of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and an attorney at the Memphis office of Morgan & Morgan, has earned a place among the American Bar Association’s On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers. Quinton's deep commitment to the legal arena, forward-thinking approach, and exemplary leadership has set him apart on the national front.  Learn more about the recognition program.

Retired NFL star Michael Oher, whose supposed adoption out of poverty by a wealthy, white family was immortalized in the 2009 movie "The Blind Side," told a Tennessee court last week that a central element of the story was a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense. The 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County Probate Court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name, including millions of dollars from the movie. Oher is now petitioning the court to end the conservatorship and bar the Tuohy family from using his name and likeness. ESPN has more on the story. The Daily Memphian reports that Sean Tuohy responded to the allegations saying, “We’re devastated. It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.” Asked if he would support ending the conservatorship, Tuohy said, “Of course. I want whatever Michael wants.”

Memphis Area Legal Services will host its Attorney of the Day clinic this Thursday beginning at 1 p.m. CDT. During the clinic, volunteer attorneys will meet with pro se litigants to provide help and make referrals. Clients are seen on a first come first serve basis. The clinic takes place in Room 134 of the Judge D'Army Bailey Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave., Memphis 38103. Volunteer attorneys are needed to help. Sign up here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court dismissed a reinstatement petition filed by Blount County lawyer Charles David Deas on Aug. 8. Deas was suspended on Oct. 12, 2020, and remained suspended until the court transferred his law license to disability inactive status on March 18, 2022. The Board of Professional Responsibility opposed reinstatement. The court agreed, saying Deas failed to provide a factual or legal basis for reinstatement; that he failed to attach evidence demonstrating a change in his physical or mental health; and that he sought relief only from the temporary suspension, which was dissolved when he was transferred to disability inactive status.

Mark P. Chalos, managing partner in Lieff Cabraser's Nashville office, has been appointed as co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in a nationwide marketing and sales practices and products liability suit against Generac Solar Power Systems. The suit claims the company’s PWRCell System components are defective and potentially dangerous following reports of solar panels catching fire in homes. Chalos was appointed by Judge Lynn S. Adelman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, who will oversee all federal cases filed against Generac. Read more about the case.

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Nashville law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison has established a renewable, need-based scholarship fund at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Scholarships will support students pursuing two- or four-year degrees at technical schools, community colleges or universities. The firm recently hosted a reception to honor Finn Pritchett, the first recipient of the scholarship. Pritchett will attend Belmont University. Read more about the program, which the firms says exemplifies its “sense of social responsibility through tangible action and the spirit of giving in a meaningful and measurable way.”