Cleotha Abston has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for three charges related to the 2021 rape of Alicia Franklin. Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7 Judge Lee Coffee handed down three consecutive sentences: 40 years for aggravated rape, 20 years for aggravated kidnapping and 20 years for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He will not be eligible for parole on the rape or kidnapping charges, but has release eligibility after serving 85% of his firearm possession sentence. He cannot appeal his sentence because he agreed to it, though he can appeal his trial conviction. The Daily Memphian reports that Abston was not charged in the Franklin rape case until after he was charged in the September 2022 death of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher. Due to a testing backlog, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had not tested Franklin’s sexual-assault kit prior to Fletcher’s abduction and death.

St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital on Monday filed a lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court, challenging the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission’s decision to grant approval for Vanderbilt Rutherford Hospital, a proposed 42-bed, acute care facility to be built near Murfreesboro. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the commission’s February decision marked a sharp reversal of an earlier decision by an administrative judge, who in 2023, denied Vanderbilt a so-called certificate of need, siding with three area hospitals who disputed a new hospital in the same market was necessary. TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center and Williamson Medical Center have contested plans for a new Vanderbilt facility but have not yet filed legal challenges.

Dr. Laura Andreson, a Franklin OB-GYN who has sued Tennessee over its abortion ban, will challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Jake McCalmon for House District 63, running as a Democrat. The Tennessean reports that Andreson's campaign platform heavily focuses on reproductive rights and health care, the issue that drove her to become more politically involved in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision ushered in Tennessee's abortion law. Andreson joined a group of physicians lobbying lawmakers for increased exceptions to Tennessee's near-total ban, expressing concern about patient health and criminal liability for doctors.

Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, on Thursday filed an ethics complaint against Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds, alleging that she accepted travel reimbursements paid for by ExcelinEd, a national advocacy group that also lobbies to expand education choice policies. The group employed a lobbyist in Tennessee who lobbied for Gov. Bill Lee's school choice proposal. The Tennessean reports that state law prohibits members of the executive branch, lawmakers and political candidates and their immediate families from soliciting or accepting gifts — directly or indirectly. In April, Reynolds was called out by lawmakers on both sides after she signed forms misrepresenting her tenure with the state to receive a tuition waiver. Hemmer in February asked Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to determine whether Reynolds met the qualifications to hold the position of commissioner. Skrmetti reponded in April saying Lee has “unchecked authority” under Tennessee law to pick whoever he wants to run the Education Department.

The Immigration Law Section will present its annual forum on May 31 in Nashville at Casa Azafran. This is one CLE you won't want to miss — the agenda is packed with speakers from government agencies, businesses and universities. Sessions include updates from U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) Nashville, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement & Removal Operations, ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), and the USCIS Asylum Office, as well as information on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program and F-1 and J-1 programs. Please note that the morning sessions are unable to be recorded for distribution as on-demand videos due to government agency policy, so join your colleagues in-person to reap the full benefits of this program!

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) Barristers' Diversity Committee has created a scholarship to help with travel and lodging costs for diverse students who are invited to attend preview days hosted by law schools in Knoxville. Learn more and make a donation.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) Barristers will hold a summer party on July 19 from 7-9 p.m. EDT at the Jig & Reel, 101 S. Central St., Knoxville 37902. The early bird registration price expires on July 5. Visit the KBA website for more information.

The Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2024 held its graduation at the TBA's 2024 Annual Convention in Memphis in June. Class members Abbie Dierbeck of Belmont University College of Law; Amanda Reyes and Jasmine Steele of Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law; Imani Bruce, Christina Mulliford, Ian Reddick and Anthony Self of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law; Charlena Fuqua, Jasmine Patton, Amanda Harrington Sargent, Zaia Thombre and Diane Tress of Nashville School of Law; Daniel Mendoza and Trinity Sandifer of University of Tennessee College of Law; and Ashley Fox of Vanderbilt Law School completed a six-month leadership and mentoring program. The 2024 DLI co-chairs are Memphis attorneys Brande Boyd and Rod Watson. See photos from their graduation.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division met last week at the TBA's 2024 Annual Convention in Memphis. On Friday, the group held its Annual Meeting during which Franklin attorney Sean Aiello took office as president. Others taking office were President-elect Alex McVeagh, Hamilton County General Sessions judge; Vice President Jen Sneed of Memphis; Secretary Ross Smith of Nashville and Treasurer Darius Walker Jr. of Nashville. The 2024-2025 YLD Board met on Saturday for committee planning sessions and its first board meeting.

On Friday evening, both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 boards met for the YLD annual dinner and gavel pass tradition at the Balinese Ballroom. They were joined by the DLI Class of 2024 for their graduation and the YLD Fellows for the induction of new fellows.

During the evening, outgoing president Quinton Thompson presented a number of awards. The President's Award was given to Knoxville attorney Samantha Ellis for her continued work on developing YLD CLE programs and to Nashville attorney Alix Rogers for her contributions as middle Tennessee governor and public services liaison. Distinguished Service Awards were given to Anthony Adewumi, Nicole Grida, Billy Leslie, Patrick Morris and Judge Zack Walden. The Public Service Award was presented to Ariel Anthony, Kevin Christopher and Erin Shackelford for their contributions to Diversity Law Week. The CASA Volunteer of the Year was presented to Kandiss Brown. Finally, six were recognized with Star of the Quarter Awards: Charles Ferguson for service as District 11 representative, Matt Knable for service on the Essential Documents for Essential Workers program, John Murphy for service as grants and sponsorship chair, Savannah Oliver for service as chair of public service, Ashley Tipton for service as mock trial chair, and Darius Walker Jr. for service as treasurer.

After the presentation of awards, The TBALL Class of 2024 joined with the group to continue the festivities. See photos from the events.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows met for their annual meeting Friday night as part of the TBA's 2024 Annual Convention. The group elected Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers as president, Memphis lawyer Mason Wilson as vice president, Chattanooga lawyer David McDowell as secretary and Memphis lawyer Nicole Grida as treasurer. Outgoing president U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Rachel Ralston Mancl inducted four new fellows: Clarksville lawyer Paige Barbeauld, Columbia lawyer Travis Jones, Knoxville lawyer John Rice and Nashville lawyer Angela Williams. Incoming Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Mary Louise Wagner was named an honorary fellow. See photos from event.