Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced his office has reached a settlement with Auburn Hills Mobile Home Park to resolve the state’s suit alleging the park took advantage of residents in violation of state and federal law. Shortly after a deadly tornado in April 2020, allegations emerged that park managers were holding charitable donations intended for residents. Further investigation revealed the park failed to address severe septic issues that caused raw sewage to pool on the ground and back up into homes in addition to other charges. The settlement requires the defendants to develop a sewer system and secures $750,000 to go toward consumer restitution, civil penalties and litigation costs. Affected consumers will be contacted soon regarding restitution payments.  

Several law firms involved in a suit against the U.S. government over tainted drinking water at a Marine Corps base are being sued for violating the U.S. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), reports Reuters. Violations of the TCPA can result in damages of up to $1,500 per unwanted call or text. The litigation over Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, is emerging as one of the largest mass tort actions in U.S. history. Over 1,000 federal lawsuits and 93,000 administrative claims have been filed so far on behalf of victims. The U.S. government has estimated its total payout could amount to more than $20 billion.

The 2023 Equal Justice University (EJU) kicks off this week in Murfreesboro, starting with a meeting of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) board Tuesday evening. Wednesday's opening plenary speaker is Rachel Rossi, director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Access to Justice, followed by Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Bivins speaking at the Welcome Luncheon. Wednesday afternoon, the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission meets and breakout sessions continue. The evening concludes with the annual Access to Justice Awards Dinner. On Thursday, the TBA Access to Justice Committee meets and TBA President Jim Barry speaks at lunch. The event wraps up Friday morning with a keynote address by Legal Services Corporation President Ron Flagg. The conference is presented by TALS and co-sponsored by the TBA and others.

A story in yesterday's issue of TBA Today misidentified state Rep. Justin Jones' district. He represents House District 52 in Davidson County.

Tennessee's special legislative session continued today with the House meeting at 2 p.m. and the Senate meeting at 4 p.m. CDT. In the House, spectators in the gallery expressed anger after the body voted 70-20 to silence Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, for the day. The Tennessean reports that Jones earlier had been ruled out of order twice by House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville. Democrats walked out of the session after the vote and Sexton ordered troopers to clear the balconies. In the Senate, leaders continued to refuse to open up the committee process and consider more proposals despite a call from Gov. Bill Lee to do so. Lee reportedly asked the Senate to consider 12 previously tabled bills in an effort to broker a compromise with House leadership. The paper has a summary of the bills in question.

Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin held an expedited hearing at 11 a.m. CDT today in a legal dispute over a decision by the Tennessee House of Representatives to ban protest signs during a specially called session on public safety. Martin heard arguments from the state and ACLU, which filed suit on behalf of three attendees who were removed from a committee hearing after holding up small signs. The group argued that their free speech rights were violated. For the state, Assistant Attorney General Cody Brandon argued the signs were disruptive and that Martin overstepped her authority by temporarily blocking the rules. Martin did not immediately rule but vowed to issue a quick, thorough and thoughtful decision. Read more from the Tennessean.

The investiture ceremony for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Rachel Ralston Mancl will be held Sept. 29 at 1:30 p.m. EDT with a reception to follow. The events will take place at the James H. Quillen United States Courthouse, 220 West Depot St., Greenville 37743. View the invitation and RSVP to manclinvestiture@gmail.com by Aug. 30 to attend. Mancl was sworn in at a private ceremony in April 2022. She succeeds Chief Judge Shelley D. Rucker who had been the acting bankruptcy judge in Greeneville since former Chief Bankruptcy Judge Marcia Phillips Parsons retired in September 2020.

Trial judges in the 20th Judicial District have re-elected Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton as the courts’ presiding judge. Her new term will begin on Sept. 1. Dalton replaced Judge Phil Smith in the role after his death in September 2022. She earned her law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law and began practicing law with the Davidson County District Attorney General’s Office in 1997. In 2006, she was elected to the Davidson County General Sessions Court and then in 2017, Gov. Bill Haslam appointed Dalton to the Davidson County Criminal Court. Dalton also serves as the presiding judge of the Tennessee Women’s Residential Recovery Court. Read more in a release from the court.

On Aug. 28, 1963, more than a quarter million people walked in the historic “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” — the same march that saw the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. give his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Now, 60 years later, the march was recreated Saturday to highlight the fight still ahead for equality. The 1963 march helped lead to a host of new laws, including the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Read more about the genesis of the march and its legacy from The Hill, and what current day organizers hoped to achieve with Saturday’s event from the Associated Press.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has announced creation of the Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence to examine the impact of AI on law practice and the ethical implications for lawyers. The task force will explore emergent issues including use in legal education, utilization to increase access to justice, risks posed by the technology and ways to mitigate risks. The goal of the effort is to provide practical information that lawyers need to navigate this complex technology. Read more about the task force.