Franklin lawyer Christopher Yong-Min Chi died Aug. 13 at the age of 52. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Chi worked as a lawyer at various law firms and health care companies in California and Tennessee. Prior to pursuing his law degree, Chi worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Press Enterprise and Athol Daily News (Greenfield, Massachusetts). A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. CDT at 139 Richards Glen Dr., Franklin 37067. Chi will be laid to rest at a later date at a family plot in New York state. Memorial donations may be made to the family’s 529 education accounts or to the Franklin nonprofit GraceWorks, 104 Southeast Pkwy., Franklin, TN 37064.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) has opened a new office for its Eviction Prevention Program (EPP) in Knoxville. A ribbon-cutting and celebration was held earlier this month, Knox TN Today reports. LAET’s Executive Director Debra House said the EPP has been a massively beneficial program for the entire community and for people from all walks of life. “Since its inception in November 2023, the EPP has handled 357 cases and prevented 166 evictions. This program needed its own space to make it more accessible. We now have a large parking lot, and the building is on a bus line.” In addition to eviction prevention, the office also educates consumers about issues such as fair housing, discrimination, unfair lockouts and repairs and basic maintenance. It also assists with domestic violence cases to help make the home a safe place for all. The new office can be reached at 865-371-8730. Read more in a release or see photos from the event.

Shelby County Commissioners voted down a referendum, proposed by Commissioner Erika Sugarmon, that would have allowed voters to decide whether the commission should hire its own attorney, the Daily Memphian reports. The measure failed by one vote of the two-thirds majority needed to send it to the Shelby County Election Commission and put it to voters on the November ballot. Sugarmon argued the commission needed to be able to hire its own attorney independent of the Shelby County Attorney’s Office as a “check and balance” on the county administration.

Registration is now open for the next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits, set for Sept. 19 in Nashville. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Prospective clients should register by Sept. 16. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

Emmitt Martin III, one of five former Memphis Police Department officers charged with the beating death of Tyre Nichols, allegedly will change his plea from not guilty to guilty at an upcoming court hearing, the Commercial Appeal reports. Martin entered the not guilty plea in September of last year after being indicted on charges of using excessive force, deliberate indifference, conspiracy to witness tamper and witness tampering. If he does change his plea, he will be the second defendant to enter into a plea agreement. Desmond Mills agreed to a federal plea in November 2023. The four remaining defendants are scheduled to begin trial on Sept. 9. Update: read a release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee after the pleading.

Two webcasts on Sept. 11 will help lawyers improve their mediation and arbitration skills. The first, "Top 10 Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Mistakes Lawyers Make in Mediations,” will run from 10-11 a.m. CDT. One hour of CLE and CME credit is available. Then from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT, tune in for the “Top 10 Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Mistakes Lawyers Make in Arbitrations.” Nashville lawyer David Taylor with Bradley will present both programs.

On Aug. 20, the Supreme Court of Tennessee suspended 123 attorneys for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements in 2023. View the order or see the full list online, including those who have been reinstated in the last two days. Access all administrative suspension lists dating back to 2005.

The legal battle around the Swan Ball, a long-standing annual event benefiting Nashville's Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, is expanding with a countersuit from the estate against a group of volunteer event coordinators. Volunteers filed a lawsuit against Cheekwood in July accusing it of a "coup," saying the organization took control of an event that had always been volunteer-run. In a counterclaim, Cheekwood now accuses the volunteers of attempting to seize control of the ball and its trademark. The new filing also states that volunteers "attempted covertly to gain unauthorized access to Cheekwood's computers and files" earlier this year. The dispute has halted planning for the 2025 Swan Ball, according to the estate, while the volunteer group says it plans to move forward with the event next year with a new beneficiary. Axios Nashville has more on the story.

The legal battle between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family, as depicted in the film "The Blind Side,” continues. Oher is suing the Tuohys, alleging that they exploited him financially and misled him. The Tuohys, who took Oher into their home when he was a teenager, deny these allegations and claim that Oher has attempted to extort them. The case centers around a conservatorship established when Oher was 18, which the Tuohys claimed was intended to protect him financially, but which Oher claims he was duped into entering. In 2023, a judge ended the conservatorship. Oher is additionally seeking a full accounting of funds he believes the Tuohys made during the conservatorship, including money for “The Blind Side” movie, which he says he never received. According to the New York Times Magazine, the lawsuit has sparked intense media coverage and raised questions about the accuracy of the film's portrayal of the relationship between Oher and the Tuohys. While the legal proceedings continue, The Times reports, the case is exposing the potential for misunderstanding and exploitation in the industry. 

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a lawsuit against Google, ruling that the company may have collected personal information from Chrome users without their consent, even when they chose not to synchronize their browsers with their Google accounts. The court disagreed with the lower court's previous decision and found that Google's privacy notice may have misled users into believing their data would not be collected unless they explicitly turned on the sync function. The case has been returned to the lower court for further proceedings, Reuters reports.