A federal jury found a woman guilty of two counts of cyberstalking for mailing harassing letters about a Shelby County assistant district attorney (ADA). U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee announced the verdict today. Adrienne Rosse of Arlington, Tennessee, was found guilty following a three-day trial, with evidence showing she mailed anonymous, harassing letters in 2023 falsely accusing the prosecutor of having a secret pornography career and including explicit images of women resembling the attorney. Prosecutors said Rosse acted out of anger over the continued prosecution of her husband, whose rape and sexual battery case ended in a mistrial and remains pending. The harassment campaign prompted the assistant district attorney to leave her position and relocate, though she has continued her legal career. Rosse faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release at sentencing scheduled for Aug. 5 before U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris.

Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, has died at age 71. First elected in 2007, Hardaway represented House District 92 before redistricting and later District 93, which includes parts of South Memphis, Orange Mound and the Shelby Farms area. Prior to his legislative service, he served as executive director of 100 Black Men of Memphis. Colleagues and state leaders remembered Hardaway for his advocacy and commitment to his community, with Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Rachel Campbell saying he “led with heart” and worked to ensure all Tennesseans had a voice. The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a resolution April 23 honoring his service. Read messages of mourning and remembrance from state and local elected officials in the Commercial Appeal.

Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti announced that Solicitor General Matt Rice will conclude his tenure with the Office of the Attorney General this summer to join Kirkland & Ellis as a partner. Rice joined the AG's office in 2022 and was appointed as the top appellate lawyer in 2024. In that role, he has led litigation efforts for Tennessee and multistate coalitions in several high-profile cases. He argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple cases before the Tennessee Supreme Court during his tenure as solicitor general. “We are deeply grateful for Matt’s service and thrilled for him and his family as he embarks on this new opportunity. Kirkland & Ellis is getting someone truly exceptional, and we couldn’t be prouder of everything he gave to this office and to the people of Tennessee,” Skrmetti said in a release. The attorney general’s office said Rice’s successor will be announced at a later date.

The TBA will host a one-hour CLE program, “Beyond the Hype: Practical Applications of AI,” on May 19 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT via webcast. The program will provide attorneys with a foundational understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) works and offer practical ways to incorporate it into their practice. The session will be led by John Haines, an East Tennessee attorney who focuses on divorce and family law and has a strong interest in using technology to improve efficiency and accessibility in legal practice. For more information and to register visit the TBA website.

Of Tennessee’s 95 counties, 79 reported unemployment rates below 5% in February, even as most counties saw increases from the previous month, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Unemployment rates rose in 87 counties compared with January, remained unchanged in five and decreased in three. Williamson, Macon and Cheatham counties recorded the state’s lowest unemployment rates at 3%, while Pickett County had the highest rate at 6.7%, followed by Perry County at 6.6% and Cocke County at 6.5%. Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.6% in February, up slightly from January but still below the national rate of 4.4%.

Reporters from across the state gathered in Nashville today to learn about open meetings law, investigative journalism and more during the sixth annual Reporters Workshop program, produced jointly by the Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and the Tennessee Press Association Foundation. Participants were selected from applicants interested in developing a deeper understanding of media law issues that may affect their everyday work.

Today's programming included a panel of veteran investigative reporters — Phil Williams from NewsChannel 5, Meribah Knight from WPLN News and Stephen Elliott from the Nashville Banner — moderated by Amy Mohan of Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison. Other speakers were Jennifer Safstrom with Vanderbilt's First Amendment Clinic, who presented on reporter's privilege; a panel moderated by Todd Hambidge from Holland & Knight on public records that included Lisa Davidson and Ashley Rinehart from the Metro Nashville Police Department and Jay Miller from the Administrative Office of the Courts; and Deborah Fisher from Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, who discussed the open records law.

Programming will continue on Saturday with a session featuring an overview of defamation with Safstrom and Ryan Riedmueller from the Vanderbilt First Amendment Clinic and a panel on covering state and local government with Alex Apple from Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell's Office, Steve Cavendish from the Nashville Banner, Holly McCall from the Tennessee Lookout, and Erik Schelzig with State Affairs (Tennessee Journal). That panel will be moderated by Clint Brewer from Imperium Public Strategies. The day will wrap up with a panel moderated by Robb Harvey of Holland & Knight on covering the courts with Judges Valerie Smith and Ana Escobar and Chancellor Anne Martin. See photos from the event. Thanks to this year's sponsors Holland & Knight, Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison and Womble Bond Dickinson.

Nashville attorney Malcolm Leonard McCune died April 16 at age 78 after a long illness. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School, graduating in 1973 as an associate editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. He later earned a masters of business administration from Belmont University. McCune focused his career on complex products liability litigation, practicing with the firms of Maddin, Miller & McCune; Blackburn & McCune; and most recently, McCune, Zenner and Happell. McCune was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates, served as vice president of the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, and was a member of the Defense Research Institute. He also coached high school mock court teams. Services will be held May 2 at Woodlawn Funeral Home, 660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37204.

The Defendant, Corey Ellis, appeals from the order of the trial court revoking his probation. The Defendant contends the trial court failed to consider the Defendant’s amenability to future rehabilitation or whether he was a danger to others when deciding on revocation. He also argues that the trial court failed to consider an updated risk and needs assessment. After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

HELENE N. WHITE, Circuit Judge. Plaintiff Cory Driscoll brought constitutional and state tort claims against Defendant Deputy Sheriff Jennifer Smiley after she shot him. Deputy Smiley appeals the denial of her motion for summary judgment based on qualified immunity and state statutory immunity. We AFFIRM.

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Alexander Ross and his then-wife bought a used car in Oklahoma. After he and his wife divorced, Ross moved to Michigan. Following his move, the former couple failed to make their car payments and their creditor hired Robinson, Hoover & Fudge, PLLC (“RHF”), an Oklahoma-based law firm, to bring a breach-of-contract action against Ross and his ex-wife in Oklahoma. Ross eventually defaulted. By that time, RHF had learned that Ross was living and working in Michigan. RHF then used the Oklahoma default judgment to submit a garnishment summons to the Oklahoma registered agent of Ross’s employer’s parent company. The parent company passed the garnishment summons to Ross’s employer, which began garnishing wages Ross earned in Michigan. Ross then filed this action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, bringing claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq., and the Michigan Regulation of Collection Practices Act (“MRCPA”), Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.251 et seq. The district court dismissed the complaint after finding that RHF had not purposefully established minimum contacts with Michigan. Because RHF purposefully directed its actions at Ross, intentionally targeting him in Michigan and causing him to suffer his injury in the forum state, we REVERSE the judgment of the district court and REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.