Defendant, Daryl Deangelo Rollins, pled guilty to one count of reckless vehicular homicide and two counts of reckless endangerment, as a Range I offender, in exchange for dismissal of the remaining counts of the indictment with no agreement as to the sentences. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court denied judicial diversion and alternative sentencing. Defendant was sentenced to six years for reckless vehicular homicide, two years on one count of reckless endangerment, and one year on the remaining count of reckless endangerment, to be served concurrently. Defendant appeals, arguing that his sentence for vehicular homicide is excessive, that the trial court improperly applied enhancement factors, and that the trial court erred by denying an alternative sentence. We affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Eric Todd Sparks (“Husband”) and Rachel Collins Sparks (“Wife”) were divorced by order of the Chancery Court for Bradley County (the “trial court”) on December 2, 2021. In addition to $693 in monthly child support, the trial court ordered Husband to pay Wife $750 per month in alimony in futuro. The trial court also ordered that once the parties’ minor child, who was nine years old at the time of trial, reached the age of majority, Husband’s alimony in futuro obligation would automatically increase to $1,250 per month. Husband timely appealed to this Court. We affirm the trial court’s decision to award Wife alimony in futuro, but, considering Husband’s ability to pay and Wife’s need, we vacate the trial court’s ruling as to the monthly amount and remand for further proceedings. We also conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in ordering the automatic increase in Husband’s alimony obligation upon the Child reaching the age of majority and vacate that portion of the trial court’s order. Consequently, the trial court’s ruling is vacated in part and affirmed in part. We decline to award Wife her attorney’s fees incurred on appeal.

The trial court held that an insurance company properly denied an insured’s claim for property loss arising out of a fire. The trial court found that the denial was supported by two grounds: (1) that the property was not “occupied” as defined by the policy at the time of the fire and, therefore, the policy did not cover the loss, and (2) that the policy was voided by the insured’s misrepresentations relating to the loss. We affirm the trial court’s decision.

In this case involving termination of the mother’s parental rights to her two children, the Lawrence County Chancery Court (“trial court”) determined that seven statutory grounds for termination had been proven by clear and convincing evidence. The trial court further determined that clear and convincing evidence demonstrated that termination of the mother’s parental rights was in the children’s best interest. The mother has appealed. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

Week of June 12, 2023 - June 16, 2023

Nashville lawyer Seth Ogden was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award. Ogden was chosen by fellow members of the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2023 Leadership Law class and was honored during the group’s graduation ceremonies in Knoxville last week. The award is named for former President Larry D. Wilks and recognizes a TBALL class member with exceptional leadership qualities. “I am humbled to receive this award from my peers,” said Ogden. “Leadership is about empowering others to achieve their goals, and I deeply appreciate this recognition of my commitment to helping others succeed." Ogden is the 11th recipient of the award.

Belmont University College of Law in Nashville has added two new assistant professors to its faculty. Ashley Griffith will teach Legal Information & Communication with a focus on legal analysis, research, writing and oral advocacy skills. She formerly served as the deputy general counsel for TennCare. Griffith earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School where she was a managing editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. Maximiliano Gabriel Gluzman will teach Legal Information & Communication and Immigration Law. Gluzman has practiced law in Buenos Aires and Memphis. He has also taught legal research and writing at Vanderbilt University Law School.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected Sue Mathews as the 2023 CASA Volunteer of the Year. Mathews is a volunteer with CASA of Maury County and has served as a court-appointed special advocate for 15 years. In nominating Mathews for the award, CASA of Maury County Executive Director Jessica Ballard said that Mathews regularly “goes above and beyond” to support, mentor and advocate for the cases she is assigned, and “embodies what it means to be an effective CASA by making sure the children’s needs are being met and their voices are heard.” The award was presented at the YLD Board’s annual dinner on June 16 in Knoxville as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention. CASA’s mission is to train and support court-appointed volunteers who then advocate for abused and neglected children who have come to the attention of the courts. Read the TBA’s full press release here.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows met for their annual meeting Friday night as part of the TBA's 2023 Annual Convention. The group elected U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Rachel Mancl as president, Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers as vice president, Memphis lawyer Mason Wilson as secretary and Chattanooga lawyer David McDowell as treasurer. Outgoing president Rachel Moses of Cookeville also inducted six new fellows: Chattanooga lawyers Blair Bennington Cannon, Matt Brock, Justin Faith, David McDowell and Wade Hinton, and Memphis lawyer Will Perry. Three honorary fellows also were named, including, Knoxville lawyer Heidi Barcus, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne Bauknight of Knoxville and Senior U.S. District Judge Curtis Lynn Collier of Chattanooga. Barcus was recognized for her election as TBA vice president while the judges were recognized for their assistance with the YLD’s Debt Relief Clinics. See photos from the event.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division met last week in Knoxville in conjunction with the TBA's 2023 Annual Convention. On Friday, the group held its Annual Meeting, at which Memphis lawyer Quinton Thompson took office as president. Others taking office were President-elect Sean Aiello of Franklin, Vice President Alex McVeagh of Chattanooga, Secretary Ross Smith of Nashville and Treasurer Darius Walker Jr. of Nashville. The 2023-2024 YLD Board then met on Saturday for committee planning sessions and its first board meeting. On Friday, the group met for its annual board dinner. During the evening, outgoing president Brittany Thomas Faith presented a number of awards. The President’s Award was given to Knoxville lawyer Samantha Ellis for her work developing YLD CLE programs, and Chattanooga lawyer Justin Faith for his assistance during the year. Distinguished service awards were presented to Hamilton County Judge Alex McVeagh and President-elect Quinton Thompson. The Public Service Award was presented to Mock Trial Long Range Planning Committee Chair Kati Goodner and Mock Trial Committee Chair Judge Zack Walden and Vice Chair Ashley Tipton for their work on the 2023 competition. Finally, six were recognized with Star of the Quarter Awards: Billy Leslie, for service as immediate past president; Michael Holmes, for assistance with the mock trial competition; Courtney Smith, for service as co-chair of the Diversity Committee; Lindsay Oakes for service as Publications Committee vice chair; and Charlotte Mattingly and John Murphy for work on the "Welcome to Tennessee Basket.” In addition to YLD activities, the 2023 class of the Diversity Leadership Institute met for programming during the convention and celebrated their graduation at the dinner. The group completed a service project at the Richard Bean Detention Center on Saturday. See photos from these events.