The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) recently held its annual fundraising event in Nashville. The “Breakfast of Champions” featured remarks by Mayor Freddie O'Connell and raised $180,000. The funding will go toward Campaign for Equal Justice, which supports the organization's free legal services for low-income individuals in Middle Tennessee. See photos from the event in the Nashville Post.

Eight prominent U.S. newspapers are suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, Axios reports. They include: the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Denver Post, Orange County Register and St. Paul Pioneer Press. The complaint centers on copyright infringement claims around the use of articles to train AI models and accusations of reputational damage when the AI platform makes up answers to users' queries. It comes on the heels of a similar case filed by the New York Times. Other news publishers have chosen not to sue, opting instead to negotiate paid deals with AI companies, which could be seen as undermining the argument that companies will be financially harmed by the AI platforms.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, along with Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, have announced that Florida, New York and the District of Columbia have joined the multistate coalition suing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The suit, filed in January, argues that the NCAA is violating federal antitrust laws with its anticompetitive restrictions on the ability of current and future student-athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). Read more in a release from the attorney general’s office.

A Bradley County jury convicted the Defendant, Olga Narnia Sevilla, of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect, and the trial court sentenced her to a total effective sentence of twenty years. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support her convictions and that the trial court erred when it sentenced her. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgments.

The Defendant, Claude Harvey Banner, was convicted by a Carter County Criminal Court jury of attempted second degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. The trial court initially approved the verdicts as thirteenth juror but later granted the Defendant’s untimely motion for a new trial. We granted the State’s application for an interlocutory appeal pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 9 to consider whether the trial court lacked jurisdiction to grant a new trial in its capacity at thirteenth juror after the judgments were final. We reverse the trial court’s order granting a new trial and reinstate the judgments of conviction.

This is the second appeal in this personal injury matter involving the plaintiff’s injury from an uneven sidewalk owned by the defendant city. In the first appeal, this Court remanded for the trial court to consider expert testimony that had been erroneously excluded by the trial court. On remand, the trial court heard expert testimony on the issue of the city’s maintenance and inspection of its sidewalks. Because the evidence on remand did not include any new evidence regarding the length of time that the sidewalk defect had existed, we have concluded that the issues raised by the plaintiff in this appeal are pretermitted by the law of the case doctrine.

Shelby County Juvenile Court is now closed indefinitely while asbestos, mold and lead issues are abated, the Daily Memphian reports. County officials discovered the hazards last week, according to Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon. Although he has not viewed test results, Sugarmon said he was informed last week that asbestos was located in the building’s boiler room. Mold was also discovered and lead was located in a few stairwells. There is no timeline for opening the building. Court staff members are conducting most proceedings and administrative work virtually. Court proceedings that cannot be handled virtually have been rescheduled. In a separate report from the paper, Sugarmon said the court is looking for temporary space.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on May 7 on Schedule G franchise tax refunds and the implications of Tennessee House Bill 1893. Revenue administrative staff will discuss how this legislation will remove the franchise tax property measure and create statutory provisions for taxpayer refunds. Learn more or register here. The webinar is one in a series of educational sessions held by the department each month.

Today is Law Day, a time set aside to reflect on and celebrate the rule of law as America’s founding principle. In a statement issued today, American Bar Association (ABA) President Mary Smith writes that Law Day has never been more important. “Today, we are at an inflection point regarding the rule of law. At home and around the globe, autocrats threaten its very existence. American democracy is under strain, and we must all use our voices to maintain our system of laws and ensure that our democracy — as conceived — endures.” She calls on lawyers to help promote a renewed nationwide focus on civics education, the principles of democracy, the rule of law and basic human rights.

THAPAR, Circuit Judge. After a state trooper pulled over Terrence Jordan and Damara Sanders, a jury convicted them of drug and firearm offenses. On appeal, the two defendants raise several challenges to their convictions. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand for further proceedings.