A Chattanooga attorney pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to sexually exploiting a 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl. Patrick Bryant Hawley, 43, coerced the girl into engaging in sexually explicit acts for the purpose of producing images and videos from September to November 2024, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The move comes after Hawley reached a plea deal that includes registering as a sex offender. The charge carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors dismissed six other criminal counts involving animal crushing, coercion, enticement and child pornography. Hawley was temporarily suspended from the practice of law in November 2024.

Maury County’s 9th Annual Juneteenth Celebration will take place June 21 at Riverwalk Park, 102 Riverside Dr., Columbia. The free event will include live music, food and local vendors. The same day, Cultural Arts Murfreesboro will hold an event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center along South Academy Street. This year’s festival will include a Kids’ Zone with free games and activities, food vendors, artists and live music with dancing. Get details in this article from Williamson Source.

COLE, Circuit Judge. In their class-action complaint against the members of Tennessee’s Board of Parole, plaintiffs allege that Tennessee’s use of a computer test to determine parole eligibility violated their constitutional right to due process. The district court found that plaintiffs failed to state a plausible claim for relief because Tennessee’s parole statutes do not confer a protected liberty interest in parole. We affirm.

RONALD LEE GILMAN, Circuit Judge. Lavonce Makiri Smith moved to suppress evidence of a gun that was recovered from his pocket during a stop on a public street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The district court denied his motion. For the reasons set forth below, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.

CLAY, Circuit Judge. Defendant City of Cleveland appeals the district court’s class certification order of the “Water Lien Class” pursuant to Rules 23(b)(2) and 23(b)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Class consists of at least 943 individuals in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, all African American, who were assessed a water lien by the City. For the reasons set forth below, we AFFIRM.

RITZ, Circuit Judge. Brian Lyngaas, a dentist, sued dental insurance provider United Concordia Companies, Inc. (UCCI) for sending unsolicited faxed advertisements in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The district court granted summary judgment for UCCI. We reverse.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on June 9 issued an order granting permission for the Board of Professional Responsibility to file a response to Brian Kirk Kelsey’s filing seeking immediate reinstatement. It also allowed Kelsey to file a response to the board’s response if he chooses to do so. The court suspended Kelsey from the practice of law in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to an illegal campaign finance scheme. President Donald Trump pardoned Kelsey in March.

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Fifteen Ohio and Florida restaurants and bars challenge the Small Business Administration’s operation of a COVID-19 relief program. Whatever the merits of that challenge, it is now too late to grant any effectual relief. As the district court correctly held, this case is moot. We AFFIRM.

JULIA SMITH GIBBONS, Circuit Judge. This case centers on whether Plaintiff- Appellee Jessica Hines is bound by an arbitration provision included in contracts she signed on three different occasions between October 2020 and June 2023. In September 2023, Hines sued Defendant-Appellant National Entertainment Group, LLC (“NEG”), an adult entertainment club in Columbus, Ohio, for failing to properly compensate its employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.; the Ohio Minimum Fair Wage Standards Act, Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.01 et seq.; the Ohio Semi-Monthly Payment Act, Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15; Ohio Rev. Code § 2307.60; and common law unjust enrichment. NEG moved to dismiss Hines’s suit or, in the alternative, to stay the proceedings pending completion of arbitration that the parties contractually agreed to in their Lease Agreement Waiver (the “Lease Waiver”). Although Hines does not dispute that she signed three separate agreements to arbitrate, she argues that the agreements are unenforceable because they are both procedurally and substantively unconscionable. Agreeing with Hines, the district court denied NEG’s motion to dismiss and declined to enforce the parties’ agreement to arbitrate. We vacate the district court’s denial of NEG’s motion to stay pending the completion of arbitration and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

A Davidson County jury convicted the Defendant, Trameisha L. Farris, of first degree felony murder, and the trial court imposed a sentence of life imprisonment. On appeal, the Defendant challenges the legal sufficiency of the evidence supporting her conviction. More specifically, she argues that (1) the evidence is legally insufficient to prove that a robbery occurred; and (2) even assuming that a robbery occurred, the State failed to prove that she participated in that crime. Upon our review, we respectfully disagree with the Defendant and affirm the judgment of the trial court.