James Warren Bradford, dean emeritus of the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management, died on July 27. He was 76. Bradford earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida before earning his law degree at Vanderbilt. He served in the U.S. Air National Guard from 1969 to 1975 while stationed at Berry Field. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University in 1997, while serving as CEO of AFG Industries. After earning his law degree, Bradford moved to Kingsport and practiced law at Hunter Smith & Davis from 1973 to 1984. He joined AFG industries Inc. as general counsel in 1984 and was named the company’s CEO in 1992. He left AFG in 1999 to serve as CEO of United Glass Corp. Bradford joined the faculty of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University in 2002 and was named dean in 2005. He retired in 2013.

Three former dancers for Grammy-winning singer Lizzo accused her of creating a hostile work environment, including weight shaming and sexually denigrating behavior, in a lawsuit released on Tuesday. Reuters reports that the plaintiffs claim they were coerced into touching nude performers at an Amsterdam strip club in late February and that one was pressured to participate in a nude photo shoot to stay in a dance competition despite her discomfort. The lawsuit also alleges that Lizzo’s dance team captain harassed the dancers by subjecting them to her religious beliefs against their will.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against Nashville-based HCA Healthcare over claims the company broke the law by refusing to promote an employee because of his race, age and national origin. According to the Tennessean, the suit alleges that HCA denied a promotion to a 58-year-old Asian employee, who was hired in 2019 at the company's Osceola, Florida location, in favor of a 37-year-old white woman who did not meet the listed qualifications for the position. The Asian employee did, however, meet the qualifications, according to the EEOC. The lawsuit further claims that the Asian employee was subject to retaliation, including disciplinary write-ups and verbal berating, after he complained about being discriminated against, and he was later fired.

Gov. Bill Lee confirmed that he will make an official call for a special legislative session and will sponsor several bills, including one dealing with extreme risk orders of protection, despite opposition from some Republican lawmakers. The Tennessee Lookout reports that Lee said recently he also plans to push legislation on juvenile justice, mental health and violent crime, but declined to give more details. “Tennessee will be a safer state as a result of the efforts of the legislation and the legislators who are engaged in the process of this special session on public safety,” Lee said.

Registration is open for this year's Disability Law Forum, which will be in person for the first time since 2019! Make plans to join your colleagues on Oct. 20 at Bluegrass Yacht & Country Club in Hendersonville. Attendees can earn up to three general and one dual CLE credits. Sessions will cover a variety of topics applicable to disability law practitioners, including ways to prepare a successful GRID case, a session featuring best practices from a vocational expert, a DDS/OHO update and an ethics course designed to help you "un-stick" stuck cases. A happy hour will follow the day's programming.

Former President Donald Trump was indicted on felony charges in connection with his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, AP reports. The four-count indictment alleges Trump conspired to defraud the U.S. by preventing Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's victory and to deprive voters of their right to a fair election. In the 45-page court document, prosecutors allege a coordinated conspiracy across multiple states, in which Trump and his allies advanced claims of fraud they knew to be untrue but repeated them to "create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger and erode public faith in the administration of the election." Trump was ordered to make an initial appearance in federal court on Thursday.

Join us Aug. 17 in Memphis for the CLE: Intersections of Family Law. Hosted by the TBA Family Law Section, this event will examine how domestic law intersects with other legal segments to provide a more holistic view to incorporate into practice. Find out more and register.

The Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) has officially moved into its new building, located at 155 Lafayette St. in Nashville. TJC's new home is the organization's first permanent location in its 27-year history. An open house celebration will be announced in the coming weeks and TJC's annual Hall of Fame Gala will be held Oct. 26.

A three-judge panel declined Friday to issue a temporary injunction on a new law banning teacher advocacy organization dues from being voluntarily deducted from paychecks, reports the Tennessean. The law will go into effect amid an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Tennessee Education Association, three local teacher associations and two Tennessee teachers. The dues provision was included in a general assembly budget bill aimed at raising the statewide teacher pay rate. Friday's ruling held that including the payroll deductions prohibition in the teacher pay bill does not violate the single-subject requirement for legislation under the Tennessee Constitution.

A three-judge panel yesterday denied Metro Nashville’s emergency request to renounce new state-appointed members to Nashville International Airport's governing board, reports the Tennessean. The judges said Metro waited too long to file its grievance and had unfairly accused airport leaders of wrongly complying with the new law signed by Gov. Bill Lee on May 19. Mayor John Cooper has not made the two appointees allotted to his administration. The Nashville airport board appointed by Cooper voted in July to seek outside counsel in its lawsuit against the state over who controls the Nashville International Airport and the smaller John Tune Airport. The suit is scheduled for hearing on Oct. 6.