Hamilton County is launching a new recovery court aimed at veterans involved in the criminal justice system, officials announced Wednesday. County Mayor Weston Wamp, Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson and General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes introduced the Hamilton County Veterans Treatment Court, which will address the specific needs of veterans in the system. Wamp said in a news release that the program furthers the county's commitment to supporting those who have served in defense of American values. The county allocated funding in this year's budget for a case manager to oversee the court and plans to pursue grant funding to sustain and expand the program in the future, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The court will handle misdemeanor cases and certain felony offenses, such as assault, drunk driving and theft, but will not hear felony cases related to crimes such as child abuse or sexual assault.

Hernandez Govan, the man accused of masterminding the 2021 death of Memphis rapper, Young Dolph, rejected a plea deal from prosecutors Friday. The case is now set to go to trial, with proceedings scheduled to begin July 28, 2025, according to the Commercial Appeal. Govan's decision comes months after Justin Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder for his involvement in the killing. Govan will face trial on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and attempted first-degree murder. By rejecting the plea deal, Govan is prohibited from taking another plea offer before the trial.

Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, introduced a bill this week that would require the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) to revise its bylaws, allowing athletes one free transfer without eligibility restrictions. Under the current TSSAA transfer rule, student-athletes who move to a school in a different zone are ineligible for one calendar year following their last varsity game, unless they have a bona fide change of address. Cepicky’s bill would make it illegal for public schools to be part of any athletic association that enforces such eligibility restrictions. According to The Tennessean, Cepicky predicts that the bill will be ready for consideration in February. In related news, the TSSAA Legislative Council tabled all transfer-related rule proposals during its regular meeting Thursday in anticipation of the upcoming legislative session in January as a number of members have expressed concerns. The council has tentatively scheduled a special meeting for Feb. 4, 2025.

A federal grand jury recently returned an indictment charging Catherine Corrine Daly with embezzlement from a Memphis law firm. According to the indictment, Daly was office manager at a law firm where she had access to the firm’s bank accounts, including the operating account. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee, Daly had two American Express (AmEx) charge accounts in her name and a total of five AmEx charge cards issued through the two accounts to her and two of her relatives. Daly is alleged to have used money in the firm’s operating account to pay off amounts due on those personal AmEx accounts. In total, she is alleged to have embezzled $1.2 million of the law firm’s funds for her own use. The U.S. Secret Service is investigating while Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Murphy is prosecuting the case.

The state lost two civil rights leaders this week. Knoxville native Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, a poet, civil rights legend and educator, died Monday at the age of 81 after her third cancer diagnosis. Giovanni attended Fisk University in Nashville and rose to prominence during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. She later taught for 35 years in the English Department at Virginia Tech, according to the Tennessee Lookout. Just two days later, on Wednesday, Vencen Horsley, a Nashville civil rights leader and community advocate, died. Horsley was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, peacefully demonstrating alongside the late Rep. John Lewis during Nashville’s sit-in movement. WKRN has more on his life.

A Tennessee Bar Journal article from the November/December 2024 issue about the Corporate Transparency Act featured in today’s issue of TBJ Select — an electronic newsletter sent to TBA members twice a month as a compliment to the print publication — was published on Nov. 1, well before a federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction blocking its enforcement. The injunction from U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant earlier this month, reported in the Dec. 4 issue of TBA Today, halts enforcement of the act while a challenge from the National Federation of Independent Business and several small businesses and nonprofits makes its way through the legal process. 

The Petitioner, Justin Quistopher Webb, pled guilty to attempted first degree murder and theft of property and received a sentence of twenty years. Thereafter, he filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging that his plea counsel rendered ineffective assistance in failing to advise him of the significant consequences of the plea. After a hearing, the post- conviction court denied the petition by finding that plea counsel was not ineffective. On appeal, the Petitioner argues that the post-conviction court erred in denying his petition, asserting that he proved his allegations by clear and convincing evidence. Upon our review, we respectfully disagree and affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment.

The Defendant, Bobby V. Summers, appeals the trial court’s summary dismissal of his motions to correct an illegal sentence. The State has filed a motion asking this Court to affirm pursuant to Court of Criminal Appeals Rule 20. Said motion is hereby granted.

This appeal stems from a dispute over a purportedly defective sprinkler system which malfunctioned, causing significant damage to Campus Chalet, Inc. (“Campus Chalet”). East Tennessee Sprinkler Company, Inc. (“ETS”) installed the system in 1992 and remained contractually responsible for subsequent inspections, testing, and maintenance of the system. On October 5, 2023, Campus Chalet’s insurance carrier filed a complaint in the Circuit Court for Washington County (the “trial court”), against ETS, alleging that the sprinkler system malfunctioned and caused significant damage to Campus Chalet. ETS filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the complaint was time-barred by a statute of repose. The trial court granted ETS’s motion, and this appeal followed. Because we agree with the appellant that the negligence and breach of contract claims are based on ongoing failures to inspect, test, and maintain the system, we reverse.

The TBA's continuing efforts to provide education and resources related to our state's system of appointed counsel includes our Indigent Representation Primer series, which shares background and updates about indigent representation in Tennessee. So far, the series has covered basics about indigent representation and Tennessee's system of appointed counsel, including the types of cases that qualify; different models for providing indigent defense, as well as the benefits and challenges of different approaches; the criteria used by courts to determine when an attorney should be appointed; and the specific role of guardians ad litem in the context of indigent defense. Read the next primer update in Friday's TBA Today.