A decedent’s estate sued his girlfriend for the proceeds of his life insurance policy, items from his home that were missing or damaged, and money withdrawn from his credit union account. The trial court found for the estate on the basis of fraud, conversion and undue influence. The girlfriend appealed. We affirm in part, reverse in part, vacate in part and remand.

After a jury trial, the defendant, Jerry Rommell Gray, was convicted of felony murder, attempted especially aggravated robbery and attempted aggravated robbery. The defendant received a total effective sentence of life plus 15 years. In this delayed appeal, the defendant argues that the trial court erred by ordering that additional fingerprints could be taken from the defendant on the first day of trial and allowing an expert to testify regarding the conclusions of a non-testifying expert. Upon review, we respectfully affirm the judgments of the trial court.

This appeal concerns a claim of retaliatory discharge. Heather Smith (“Smith”), then an at-will employee of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Inc. (“BlueCross”), declined to take a Covid-19 vaccine. Smith emailed members of the Tennessee General Assembly expressing her concerns and grievances about vaccine mandates. BlueCross fired Smith after it found out about her emails. Smith sued BlueCross for common law retaliatory discharge in the Chancery Court for Hamilton County (“the Trial Court”). For its part, BlueCross filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. After a hearing, the Trial Court granted BlueCross’s motion to dismiss. Smith appeals. We hold that Article I, Section 23 of the Tennessee Constitution, which guarantees the right of citizens to petition the government, is a clear and unambiguous statement of public policy representing an exception to the doctrine of employment-at-will. Smith has alleged enough at this stage to withstand BlueCross’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. We reverse the Trial Court and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Gov. Bill Lee recently signed a bill that gives dozens of people a chance to be removed from the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry due to a decades-old law regarding HIV exposure. ABC24 in Memphis reports that the bill amends the current law — where potentially exposing someone to HIV was a felony and required people to register as sex offenders — removing the sex offender registry requirement for people convicted of criminal exposure. People will qualify for removal if they do not have any other sex offenses on their record, although there is no clear timeline for how quickly names will be removed.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday adopted Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 55 – Use of Technology for Court Proceedings. The rule allows the use of teleconferencing, video conferencing and other technology to conduct court proceedings remotely at the discretion of the trial or appellate court. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the court encouraged the use of technology to facilitate remote proceedings, and has since found that parties and courts benefit from remote proceedings, making the pandemic exception a permanent option.

Holland & Knight has announced that Robert Crammig will assume the newly created senior leadership roles of chair and CEO after longtime managing partner Steven Sonberg steps down. A press release from the firm states that the leadership change follows a period of transformational growth at Holland & Knight that has included the firm's combinations with Nashville-based Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in March 2023, and Texas-based Thompson & Knight in August 2021.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has reinstated a lawsuit brought by former BlueCross employee Heather Smith, who was fired after expressing her objection to being required to take a COVID vaccination. The Chattanoogan reports that the court directed Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton to have further proceedings after he had initially dismissed the case.

The Brennan Center for Justice has released a new report noting that State Reps. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, and Justin Jones, D-Nashville, were the first state or federal lawmakers in more than a century to be expelled for their viewpoints or speaking without permission. According to The Daily Memphian, the report argues that the expulsions of Pearson and Jones were discriminatory, unconstitutional and without recent precedent, and the Tennessee House’s actions, showed “all the hallmarks of suppressing speech based on its viewpoint.”

The Knoxville Bar Association's Bankruptcy Section, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) and with the support and involvement of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight, will hold a Debt Relief Clinic to provide pro bono legal services to income-eligible consumer debtors. LAET staff will screen potential clients and give instructions to complete a questionnaire and bring it along with tax returns and pay stubs to the clinic. The clinic will be held on Aug. 26 from 9 a.m.-noon EDT, in person at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty Street, Knoxville 37919.

Multiple sources, including the Associated Press, are reporting that former President Donald Trump has been indicted on 37 counts of mishandling classified documents. The indictment was unsealed today by the Department of Justice. The charges include counts of retaining classified information, obstructing justice and making false statements, among other crimes. According to the indictment, “The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”