Montgomery County has appointed Teya Moore as juvenile resource coordinator for its juvenile court system. According to Clarksville Online, this newly created position will coordinate community-based services to prevent youth from involvement in the juvenile justice system and provide resources to at-risk children and families. Moore holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Human Services with a specialization in Social and Community Services. Previously, she was program coordinator for Catholic Charities in Clarksville and has worked with Clarksville Housing Authority, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Soldier Transition Assistance Program and Goodwill Career Solutions.

Albert Randall Worrell injured his shoulder in the course and scope of his employment with Obion County School District. Mr. Worrell and Obion County entered into a settlement agreement. Among other things, the agreement required Obion County to pay for future medical expenses related to his work injury. Almost three years after his initial injury, Mr. Worrell's doctors recommended that he undergo shoulder replacement surgery. The Court of Workers' Compensation Claims concluded that Obion County was not required to pay for the shoulder replacement surgery because Mr. Worrell did not prove that the recommended surgery was causally related to his work injury. The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board affirmed, In his appeal to this Panel, Mr. Worrell presses federal and state constitutional challenges to two provisions of Tennessee's workers' compensation law — Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-116 (2014), which instructs 'courts to construe the workers' compensation law fairly and impartially, and Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-102(1a) (Supp. 2016), which defines the term injury." Mr. Worrell argues that both provisions violate the substantive due process protections of the United States and Tennessee Constitutions and the Open Courts Clause of the Tennessee Constitution. He further argues that the definition of "injury" violates the equal protection guarantees of the federal and state constitutions. We hold that the challenged statutory provisions are constitutional and affirm the judgment of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that attorneys must promptly pay their annual professional privilege tax or face immediate suspension of their law license. Montgomery County attorney Colleen Ann Hyder was suspended in 2020 for non-payment but continued to represent clients in violation of state regulations. The court upheld a public censure against Hyder for this unauthorized practice, rejecting her claim that she had a grace period to wind down her practice following the suspension. Read more from the court about its findings and a press release from the Board of Professional Responsibility about the suspension.

Public access to Franklin State Forest is currently restricted as the Tennessee Department of Agriculture investigates vandalism and theft of Division of Forestry (TDF) equipment. TDA’s Agricultural Crime Unit is working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security and local law enforcement to arrest those responsible for vandalizing TDF dozers and a transport truck, leaving the equipment with costly, extensive damage. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that state officials suspect that opponents of the logging industry are responsible. Read the press release from the department.

An Arkansas personal injury attorney on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against the law firm Morgan & Morgan, alleging "unfair and deceptive advertising practices" and stating that the firm's advertisements violate state attorney professional conduct rules as well as the Federal Communications Commission's rules preventing false or misleading advertising. Reuters reports that Morgan & Morgan said in a statement that the lawsuit "is meritless and will be dismissed." The attorney, who works at a two-lawyer firm, told Reuters it can be difficult to compete with such a big firm, which he said is "stepping on the little guys." Morgan & Morgan has offices in Memphis, Nashville and Murfreesboro.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) has reached a settlement with the nonprofit Satanic Temple in a federal lawsuit. The suit claimed that MSCS discriminated against the After School Satan Club (ASSC), a program of the Satanic Temple, which sought to rent space for after school activities at Chimneyrock Elementary School in Cordova. The Daily Memphian reports that the Freedom from Religion Foundation represented the ASSC in the matter, and that MSCS will pay more than $15,000 to settle the lawsuit.

Public health clinics in Tennessee will no longer give teens access to certain health care — including birth control, sexually transmitted infection treatment and pregnancy testing — without parental consent, according to the Department of Health. The department's interpretation of the Family Rights and Responsibilities Act, which went into effect July 1, is changing the way doctors and nurses interact with teenage patients seeking care at public health clinics, Tennessee Lookout reports. Before the law took effect, teens 14 and older could access contraceptives, HIV and pregnancy tests, and a range of primary health care from public health clinics without parental consent. Now, the department is requiring that a parent be present or give verbal consent over the phone. The department also is interpreting the law to require that all health care providers obtain parental consent before offering counseling or psychological services, but it remains unclear how the state intends to apply this provision of the law to the spectrum of mental health professionals.

Make plans now to join colleagues for a one-hour webcast "Disability Law: Changes in Past Relevant Work" on Aug. 7 from 11:30-12:30 p.m. CDT. Hear from Knoxville lawyer Emma Drozdowski Webb with Drozdowski & Rabin and Gallatin lawyer Chris George with George & George, who will discuss recent Social Security regulatory changes that positively impact claimants and recipients.

Dallas-based AT&T is facing a class action lawsuit after the company announced that the data of “nearly all” of its customers was downloaded to a third-party platform in a security breach. It was the company’s second data breach reported this year, WFAA in Dallas reports. The suit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that AT&T “has not been transparent about the nature and extent of data security lapses impacting its customers,” failed to adequately protect customers’ data from third parties, and earned “unjust enrichment” from customers after failing to protect their information.

The Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission met in Charlotte recently to consider nominees for a circuit court judge in the 23rd Judicial District, which includes Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties. After holding a public hearing and interviews, the commission selected the following three nominees to forward to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration: Ashland City lawyer Jack Arnold, an assistant district attorney; Ashland City lawyer Jennifer F. Noe, a partner in the law firm of Balthrop, Perry and Noe; and Charlotte lawyer Joshua Turnbow, an assistant district attorney. Read more about each of the candidates from the Administrative Office of the Courts.