The Tennessee Supreme Court today referred a petition for reinstatement to the Board of Professional Responsibility. Bradley County lawyer Kent Thomas Jones filed the petition on June 3 after being suspended by the court on Feb. 26 for 90 days. The board requested that the court refer the petition to it, noting that attorneys suspended for less than one year must file petitions for reinstatement with the board, not the court. The court referred the petition to the board for its consideration.

Plaintiffs in four class actions are alleging that Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster failed to protect users' private information after a cyberattack. The suits, filed in the Central District of California, allege that the personal data of 560 million customers was taken and listed on the black market. Live Nation notified regulators last week that "a criminal threat actor'' tried to sell Ticketmaster data on the dark web. The Tennessean has more from USA Today. The suits come on the heels of an announcement that the U.S. Department of Justice and 30 states, including Tennessee, are suing Live Nation for antitrust violations related to Ticketmaster’s unrivaled control of concert ticket sales.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 today that insurers have a broad right to weigh in on bankruptcies that may put them on the hook for paying claims. The decision is a victory for an insurer challenging the restructuring plan of a manufacturer of asbestos-containing products, Reuters reports. The opinion, written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, held that Truck Insurance Exchange should have been allowed to object to Kaiser Gypsum's proposed $50 million settlement of thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, because the deal would be funded largely by the company's insurance policies.

Gov. Bill Lee announced today that he will back three state House candidates who are aligned with him on the issue of school vouchers, Tennessee Journal reports. The beneficiaries of his support are: Jason Emert in District 20 in Blount County, Lee Reeves in District 65 in Williamson County and Aron Maberry in District 68 in Montgomery County. The seats are being vacated respectively by Republican Reps. Bryan Richey of Maryville, Sam Whitson of Franklin and Curtis Johnson of Clarksville.

Pittsburgh-based boutique law firm, the Cozza Law Group PLLC, said this week it has opened a Nashville office and is looking to hire attorneys in the new location. “We are absolutely thrilled to begin to work with clients in Nashville," managing partner Rocco Cozza said in a statement. “When looking at strategic locations to expand, we were drawn to Nashville’s rich business community, hospitality industry and, of course, its renowned music scene. We believe our values closely align with the area’s mission for continued growth, honesty and collaboration.” The firm, which focuses on business, entertainment and employment law, will occupy space at 611 Commerce St., Nashville, TN 37203. Read more in the Nashville Business Journal.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have reached a deal that clears the way for potential antitrust investigations into the dominant roles that Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia play in the AI industry. Reuters reports that the agreement means regulatory scrutiny is gathering steam amid concerns over concentration in the industries that make up AI. Microsoft and Nvidia not only dominate their industries but are also the world's two biggest companies by market capitalization.

The Defendant, Edward Honeycutt, Jr., pleaded guilty to one count of initiating the process to manufacture methamphetamine and two counts of child endangerment, in exchange for an effective eight-year sentence, suspended to ten years of probation, after service of sixtyone days in confinement. After multiple violations and revocation hearings, the trial court revoked the Defendant’s probation sentence and ordered it into execution, granting “street time” credit from October 25, 2021 to May 6, 2022. The Defendant filed a Rule 36 motion, claiming “clerical mistakes in the judgment orders” related to whether the Defendant’s sentence was a probation sentence or a sentence served on community corrections. The Defendant argued that he was entitled to time served in community corrections from September 4, 2012, rather than October 25, 2021, because his sentence was a community corrections sentence. The trial court denied the motion, and the Defendant appeals, maintaining that he has been deprived of time served in community corrections. After review of the record, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Join us for the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers' Division (TBA YLD) Convention After Party! The event will take place at Curry 'N Jerk, 507 Lux Lounge, 150 Monroe Ave., Memphis on June 13 at 9 p.m. CDT, immediately following the Convention's Joint Bench Bar Dinner. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to network and unwind with fellow young lawyers. Hosted by the TBA YLD and its Fellows organization, along with the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association, the evening promises great company and a vibrant atmosphere.

The plaintiff appeals the dismissal of her complaint against her former landlord. Because the plaintiff did not file her notice of appeal within thirty days after entry of the dismissal order as required by Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 4(a), we dismiss the appeal.

This is the second post-divorce contempt case between the parties. While Mother’s petition for contempt was pending in the trial court, Father filed a petition alleging that Mother was guilty of 29 counts of criminal contempt for various violations of the parties’ permanent parenting plan and the mandatory “Parental Bill of Rights” incorporated into the plan. The trial court: (1) found Mother guilty of seven counts of contempt; (2) sentenced Mother to 29 days in jail; and (3) awarded Father a portion of his attorney’s fees and costs. Mother appeals. Because Father failed to meet his burden to show, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mother was in criminal contempt of the parenting plan, we reverse the trial court’s order.