The defendant, Vidal Chad Bryant, pled guilty to attempted possession with the intent to sell butyrylfentanyl, a Class C felony; possession with the intent to sell less than half a gram of methamphetamine, a Class C felony; and possession of a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense, a Class C felony, for an agreed-upon effective sentence of six years in the Tennessee Department of Correction (“TDOC”). On appeal, the defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his motion to suspend the remainder of his sentence to probation. Following our review of the record, the parties’ briefs, and applicable law, we affirm the trial court’s denial of the defendant’s motion.

The Defendant, John Bassett, appeals from his conviction for first degree premeditated murder, for which he received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. On appeal, the Defendant contends that (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction because the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was responsible for the victim’s death and that he acted with premeditation and (2) the evidence was insufficient to support an enhanced sentence based upon the aggravating circumstance that the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel. After review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court with respect to the Defendant’s conviction. However, we reverse the judgment of the trial court with respect to the Defendant’s sentence and remand the case for the entry of an amended judgment sentencing the Defendant to imprisonment for life.

In this interlocutory appeal, the employer challenges the trial court’s award of temporary disability benefits and attorneys’ fees. The employee suffered multiple injuries requiring treatment at an emergency room when a tripod fell on him at work. After the employee’s discharge, the employer did not offer a panel of physicians, so the employee followed up with his primary care physician, who restricted him from working. The employee then suffered a stroke, necessitating additional emergency medical care. Several weeks later, after the employee retained counsel, the employer offered two separate panels but indicated that it would not authorize any appointments until it had received the employee’s recent medical records. The employee returned the signed panels more than four months later, and both panel-selected physicians opined the employee should have been restricted from working since the date of the accident. The employer paid temporary disability benefits as of the date the employee first saw an authorized physician, but it denied any temporary disability benefits before that date due to the employee’s delay in returning the signed panels, which it deemed noncompliance. After an expedited hearing, the trial court awarded the requested disability benefits and also awarded attorneys’ fees, determining the employer had acted unreasonably in delaying the authorization of medical treatment and the payment of temporary disability benefits. The employer has appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record and arguments of counsel, we affirm the award of temporary total disability benefits, reverse the award of attorneys’ fees, and remand the case.

This is an appeal from an order denying a motion to reconsider. Because the appellant did not file his notice of appeal with the Clerk of the Appellate Court within thirty days after entry of the order as required by Rule 4(a) of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, we dismiss the appeal.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) has announced that three new members have joined its board of directors. Judge Kathryn W. “Katy” Olita has joined as an attorney board member and represents the Clarksville service area. Olita has been a circuit court judge in Tennessee’s 19th Judicial District since 2018, presiding over civil cases in counties including Montgomery and Robertson. Carletta L. Merritt has joined as a community board member, also representing the Clarksville service area. Wesley “Wes” Mack Bryant, a managing partner at Parks, Bryant & Snyder PLLC in Columbia, has joined as an attorney board member representing the Columbia office. “We’re proud to welcome Carletta, Wes and Katy to our board of directors,” said DarKenya W. Waller, executive director of LAS. “They bring different but equally valuable backgrounds that will be beneficial in focusing our services on those in Middle Tennessee who need legal assistance the most. We look forward to their input and advocacy and are grateful for their willingness to serve.” Read more about the new board members in a press release.

TBA YLD President-elect Jennifer Sneed-Perry has appointed six law students to serve as law student liaisons for the 2026–2027 bar year. The students will fill newly established roles on the YLD Membership Committee and be led by YLD Law Student Liaison Coordinator Lorne Hiller, who also serves as a young lawyer delegate to the TBA House of Delegates. The selected liaisons are: Drew Fowler from Belmont University College of Law, Carlee Sullins from Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, Marilyn Harrison-Bates from Nashville School of Law, Haley Crossley from University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Trent White from University of Tennessee Winston College of Law and Weslyn Harmon from Vanderbilt University Law School. Throughout the bar year, the law student liaisons will collaborate on a variety of projects, strengthen connections between the TBA YLD and Tennessee’s law schools, and engage with members of the YLD Board. The program will culminate with the students attending the TBA Annual Convention in Memphis in June of 2027, where they will present their final project.

The Nashville Electric Service (NES) announced expanded financial assistance for customers affected by the recent ice storm. According to WSMV, the utility donated $1 million to NeedLink Nashville. Customers can apply for assistance online at NeedLink.org, by mail or by calling 615-269-6835. Applications can also be submitted in person on Mondays or Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST at NeedLink’s office inside Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Ave, Nashville 37205. “Leveraging an existing partnership, the program provides temporary bill assistance to customers in need. An application is required to receive the financial aid, and NeedLink manages both the application process and the distribution of funds,” NES said in a statement.

Several bills regarding children and youth are scheduled to be considered by legislative committees next week. SB1868/HB2526 would allow the Department of Children’s Services to place some foster children who have threatened or exhibited violent behavior in jail-like facilities that usually are reserved for children who have committed crimes. WPLN has more on that bill. HB1165/SB0045 is being revived from last year and according to ABC24, aims to increase penalties for adults who recruit or coerce minors into committing crimes, a practice lawmakers and community leaders said is happening across the state. Another bill being revived from last year is HB0793/SB0836, which now would require public schools to report the number of undocumented students enrolled. The Tennessean covers developments in that bill, including what has changed from 2025. Last year, the bill would have given school districts the option of denying enrollment or charging families for immigrant children who could not prove legal status.

Bernard LaFayette, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, died March 5 at age 85. He came from Florida to Nashville in 1958 to study at American Baptist College, then the American Baptist Theological Seminary. LaFayette co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960 and under his leadership, Nashville became the first Southern city to desegregate public spaces. Lafayette and other civil rights icons staged their first sit-in at Harveys Department Store in downtown Nashville. The sit-in movement grew, and the first large-scale effort happened Feb. 13, 1960, at Woolworths, S.H. Kress and McLellan stores. He joined the Freedom Rides in 1961 and directed the Alabama Voter Registration Project, later becoming involved with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. LaFayette served as president of American Baptist College from 1992-1999. The Tennessean has more on his life.

The Legislative Updates podcast is new this week with attorneys and TBA lobbyists Berkley Schwarz of Pier Strategies LLC and Ashley Harbin of Adams & Reese. This week they discuss the extrajudicial adoptions bill HB1263/SB1238; real estate bills HB569/SB394, HB1970/SB1985 and HB1762/SB170; TBA's adoption bill SB2165/HB235; probate bill SB2184/HB2451; and family law bill SB2324/HB2429. Tune in on the TBA website or here. Attorneys can support TBA’s lobbying efforts by contributing to LAWPAC.