Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee Reagan Fondren announced her office is joining the Department of Justice in commemorating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Last month, the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women awarded over $228.5 million in grants for services for survivors of domestic violence. DVAM also includes a national day of action, "Purple Thursday," observed Oct. 17, when advocates are encouraged to wear purple and start a conversation about domestic violence. Read more about DVAM and domestic violence resources in a release from Fondren's office.

On Oct. 25, the Corporate Counsel Section will host a webinar that will explore how in-house legal teams can effectively balance the strategic advantages and inherent risks of integrating artificial intelligence (AI). Topics will include what AI is and its practical applications, key risks and considerations to address before implementing AI, AI governance frameworks and compliance, ethical challenges and responsible AI use. Attendees will gain insights on managing AI in the corporate environment while mitigating legal and ethical concerns. Register here.

TBA’s Group Health Insurance, provided by BlueCross BlueShield, offers guaranteed issue coverage, with no health questions and no pre-existing condition exclusions. The Knoxville law firm Butler Vines & Babbs made the switch. Here is what firm administrator David T. Kristy says about the program: “When the TBA Member Insurance Solutions Plans first came out, the benefits and premiums offered were so close to what we currently had for our small firm (18 participants) that we elected to pass on the opportunity. However, we evaluated these plans each year and in 2023, the insurance carrier, benefit levels and especially premium costs were clearly way ahead of the competition! We went with the TBA plan in 2023 and over the past two years have saved over $62,000 for the same level of coverage for our employees. I would not hesitate to recommend that other law firms seriously evaluate the TBA plans.” Find out more or get your quote now.

Judge Barry Brown, who served as Sumner County’s juvenile judge for 32 years, died Oct. 10. During his time with the court, Brown established a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in the county, a Sumner County Teen Court, a Victim/Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) and a program to educate first-time offenders about the dangers of drug abuse. The Nashville School of Law graduate retired from the bench in 2017. Services were held today. Memorial donations may be made to Sumner County CASA, 182 West Franklin St., Gallatin, TN 37066. Main Street Media has more on his career and reflections from colleagues.

The pro se Defendant, Brandon Theus, appeals from the trial court’s denial of his Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 36 motion to correct a clerical mistake in his judgments of convictions for simple possession of methamphetamine and driving on a suspended license. The Defendant argues the trial court should have granted his motion to award pretrial jail credit on his sentence in the instant case, which had been ordered to run consecutively to separate cases that were pending parole revocation proceedings at the time of the Defendant’s sentencing. The State contends that the Defendant’s appeal was untimely, that the record is inadequate for review, and, nonetheless, that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying the Defendant’s motion to correct a clerical mistake. We conclude that the appeal is timely and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Following a jury trial, the Defendant, Shawn Foutaine Shaw, was convicted of first degree premeditated murder, first degree felony murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault. On appeal, the Defendant claims that his convictions for especially aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault violate the prohibition against double jeopardy. He also raises an evidentiary issue regarding the testimony of a witness at trial. After a thorough review of the record, we remand the case to the trial court for entry of an amended judgment in count 2 and corrected judgments in counts 3 through 6. In all other respects, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

The Defendant, Kenneth Ray Niles, appeals from his convictions in the Dickson County Circuit Court for two counts of first degree premeditated murder, two counts of first degree felony murder, and one count each of aggravated arson, a Class A felony; especially aggravated robbery, a Class A felony; theft of property, a Class D felony; and aggravated criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-202 (2014) (subsequently amended) (first degree felony murder), 39-14-302 (2018) (aggravated arson), 39-13-403 (2018) (especially aggravated robbery), 39-14-103 (2018) (theft of property), 39-14-406 (2014) (subsequently amended) (aggravated criminal trespass). He received an effective sentence of life plus fifty years. The Defendant contends that (1) the jury’s verdict was contrary to the weight and sufficiency of the evidence, (2) the trial court erred by failing to exclude evidence found in the Defendant’s wife’s truck, and (3) the trial court erred by admitting photographs of the victims. We affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Brentwood-based CoreCivic, the leading private prison company in the U.S., has spent more than $4.4 million to settle dozens of complaints alleging mistreatment at its Tennessee prisons and jails since 2016. The Associated Press reports that those complaints include at least 22 inmate deaths, and more than $1.1 million of the payouts involved Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, which is now under federal investigation. The Tennessee Department of Corrections has fined CoreCivic $37.7 million across four prisons since 2016, including $11.1 million for problems at Trousdale, according to the news outlet.

Memphis-based Community Legal Center has announced the appointment of Betsy Prendergast as its interim executive director. She replaces Diana Comes, who was with the center since 2021 and oversaw the organization’s move to Brinkley Plaza. Prendergast has been serving as a staff attorney and was a past member of the group's board of directors. The center also announced that Dawna E. Snipes is a new elder law staff attorney and Susie Espinoza is a new program coordinator. Finally, the center is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with an event on Nov. 8 from 7-9 p.m. CDT at the Crosstown Theater. Buy tickets here or contact Austin Brown at 901-402-0509 with questions.

Judge Joshua Turnbow was sworn in to the 23rd Judicial District Circuit Court on Sept. 13. He received a degree in finance from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. After his first year of law school, he participated in a program that paired him with then 23rd District Circuit Court Judge Robert Burch. "He would let me ride with him to every county," Turnbow said. “[H]e also helped start the drug court program here in the 23rd district ... I was so impressed by that program and the impact it can have on peoples’ lives and the impact Judge Birch had on peoples’ lives through his judgeship." The 23rd Judicial District covers five counties: Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart. Turnbow grew up in Charlotte, in Dickson County, a few miles from the courthouse where he will preside. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.