The Tennessee Supreme Court censured Hamilton County lawyer Cindy Powell Bice on Jan. 14. The court reports that while representing a client in a child support modification case, Bice disclosed confidential information and failed to withdraw from representation in a timely manner in violation of Rules of Professional Conduct 1.6(a), 1.9(c) and 1.16(a)(3) and (d). After the client posted a negative online public Google Review of Bice’s legal services, Bice posted a public response with detailed confidential information about the client, including references to payment for legal services, a contempt action for failure to pay child support, the client’s disability, the hearing date and attorney-client communications. The court also found that between 2015 and 2023, Bice posted online responses to four negative client reviews, revealing confidential information about former clients’ representation, including disclosure of fee amounts paid, legal advice given, actions/inactions by the clients, and other information. In addition to the censure, the court ordered Bice to complete three extra hours of CLE about client confidentiality and online/social media use within 90 days.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) is facing a legal battle over its handling of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A class-action lawsuit accuses DHS of delays in processing initial and recertification applications, issuing timely and accurate notices and providing prompt appeal decisions, according to Fox 13 Memphis. The lawsuit alleges that, as a result, applicants and SNAP beneficiaries have experienced hunger, malnutrition and financial hardship. The complaint seeks court acknowledgment of DHS’s failures and injunctions requiring the agency to correct its mistakes.

For the first time in several years, fewer guns were stolen from cars in Nashville in 2024 compared to 2023. Nashville Public Radio reports the thefts had been one of the city’s most persistent problems since 2013, when the state legislature passed a law allowing guns to be carried in cars. The Metro Nashville Police Department reported that 928 guns were stolen from cars in 2024, more than 281 fewer firearms than in 2023. It is the lowest number the city has recorded since 2019. Data from the FBI shows that Memphis, Chattanooga and Nashville are among the top 20 cities in the country for guns stolen from cars.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced a special legislative session to convene on Jan. 27. The session will focus on advancing his school voucher bill, as well as disaster relief funding and immigration issues, The Tennessean reports. This will be Lee’s seventh special legislative session since taking office in 2019, more than any other governor in state history according to the paper. Lee’s voucher proposal failed last year. A special session, which allows lawmakers to focus solely on topics designated by the governor, could clear the way for the bill’s passage. Regarding immigration issues, the governor’s office said he is asking the General Assembly to consider “public safety” measures to ensure the state is prepared for federal policy implementation. Read the governor's full statement.

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Pornhub blocked website visitors in Tennessee on Tuesday after an appellate court allowed a new state age-verification law to go into effect. A message on the site encouraged users to contact their elected representatives. The Protect Tennessee Minors Act requires websites with content deemed harmful to minors to proactively verify that users are 18 or older. After the ruling, an adult industry group leading the legal challenge against the state advised adult businesses that the state could begin enforcing the law immediately, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The company has said that laws like these are an ineffective, haphazard and dangerous approach to protecting minors, arguing they will force users to more dangerous sites. In related news, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a similar Texas law today. SCOTUSblog looks at those arguments.

KPMG is one step closer to becoming the first of the Big Four accounting firm to open a law firm in the United States, leveraging loosened law firm ownership rules in Arizona and accelerating the accounting industry's push into U.S. legal services, Reuters reports. A new subsidiary, KPMG Law US, persuaded a court committee on Tuesday to recommend approval by the Arizona Supreme Court to practice law in the state. The new unit could give corporate legal departments more options to outsource work and could also serve clients outside of Arizona. The full court will weigh KPMG’s bid on Jan. 28.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended White County lawyer John Edward Hutson from the practice of law for two years, with six months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The court conditioned the probation on compliance with a Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) contract and the engagement of a practice monitor for six months following reinstatement. The suspension was imposed in response to one complaint that Hutson knowingly provided financial assistance to a client; entered into a business transaction with the client to obtain services for repayment of the funds; and made overtures and requests for a personal relationship with the client, which materially limited his representation of the client and was prejudicial to the administration of justice. The court determined that these actions violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.7(a)(2), 1.8 and 8.4(a) and (d).

Defendant, George Cleave, was convicted by a jury of theft over $1,000, but less than $2,500, a Class E felony. Following a hearing, the trial court sentenced Defendant as a Range I offender to two years, suspended to supervised probation with credit for time served and ordered Defendant to pay $2,500 in restitution. On appeal, Defendant contends the evidence is insufficient to support his theft conviction and that the trial court abused its discretion in determining the restitution amount because it was unsupported by any proof. Upon review of the entire record, the briefs of the parties and the applicable law, we affirm Defendant’s conviction but reverse the judgment of the trial court in part and remand for a new restitution hearing consistent with this opinion.

Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen on Monday announced that two Knoxville police officers were justified in the shooting of Christopher Arons in late 2024 after Arons charged at them holding an axe. According to KnoxNews, Allen wrote that she had reviewed evidence collected by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the "force utilized in this incident amounted to a necessary response to thwart the threat involved." Arons survived the shooting and is charged with aggravated assault, domestic assault and vandalism.