Tennessee

Cheaper Than a BMW, $20K Law Degree is a Bargain for Tenn. Residents

A law degree costs considerably less than a base model BMW at the next-door luxury car dealership, for those attending Nashville School of Law. At a total cost of a little less than $20,000 for current students, the law school is a bargain, reports the Nashville Business Journal. Buying a…

Dec 23, 2008 3:34 PM CST

Doc Sees Propensity for Violence in Frontal Lobes

A neurologist who testified on behalf of a Tennessee woman convicted of killing a romantic rival says every killer he has ever examined shares three characteristics—and one of them is brain damage. The expert opinion did not sway Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz, who refused to grant a new trial for…

Dec 22, 2008 4:42 PM CST

Southern Firms Merge to Create 350-Lawyer Operation

Two southern law firms based in Birmingham, Ala., and Nashville, Tenn., announced today they would merge to create a 350-lawyer firm with offices in four “strategic” states. The merger of Bradley Arant Rose & White with Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry is expected to be complete by Jan. 1, according…

Dec 4, 2008 8:03 PM CST

Another Hot Coffee Lawsuit Filed, this One against Starbucks

A Tennessee woman claims in a lawsuit that she suffered severe burns when coffee she bought at a Starbucks drive-up window spilled onto her hand and lap. The plaintiff is 23-year-old Jordan Triplett, the Knoxville News reports. The suit claims the coffee lid was loose, and dislodged as she was…

Oct 27, 2008 4:44 PM CDT

Tenn. Judge Charged with Making Probationers Work on his Property

A Tennessee judge has been charged with official misconduct based on accusations he required probationers to perform work on his private property. Judge Ronald Darby of Benton County was indicted on Monday, report the Camden Chronicle and the Jackson Sun. He is accused of having work done by probationers he…

Oct 24, 2008 5:56 PM CDT

ABA Secretary Wins Women Judges Award

Memphis U.S. District Court Judge Bernice Donald, the ABA’s Secretary, has been named the 2008 Honoree of the Year by the National Association of Women Judges. A former president of the NAWJ, Donald has “worked tirelessly to advance women and minorities in the legal profession,” according to the group. She…

Oct 8, 2008 3:18 AM CDT

Contempt Conviction Upheld for Tenn. Lawyer Who Gave Judge the Finger

A Tennessee appeals court has upheld the contempt conviction of a Tennessee lawyer who made an obscene gesture as a judge was leaving the courtroom. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on the July 23 opinion upholding a contempt conviction for lawyer Randy George Rogers in a story published yesterday. Rogers…

Oct 2, 2008 1:44 PM CDT

Tenn. High Court Hears Law Firm’s Plea for Judge’s Permanent Recusal

A Greeneville, Tenn., law firm’s effort to get a local judge to recuse himself permanently from its cases seemingly received a favorable reception today in a Tennessee Supreme Court hearing. The firm, Rogers Laughlin Nunnally Hood & Crum, is appealing to the high court Circuit Judge John Wilson’s refusal to…

Sep 5, 2008 4:50 PM CDT

Tenn. High Court to Hear About Fiery 25-Year Law Firm-Judge Spat

After 25 years of periodic dispute between a Greeneville, Tenn., law firm and a local Greene County judge, the situation has heated up to a point where the state supreme court is about to weigh in. The law firm, which is one of the largest in Greeneville, is asking the…

Sep 3, 2008 3:57 PM CDT

Ex-Prisoner Puts Tenn. Federal Judge Appointment on Hold

More than a year ago, President George W. Bush nominated Gustavus Puryear IV to be a federal district judge in Nashville, Tenn. His nomination is supported by Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee, which ordinarily would put him on a fast track to confirmation. But a former…

Aug 14, 2008 3:51 PM CDT

Widow Charged in ‘92 Murder of Tenn. Prosecutor

When Ed Dossett died in 1992, only 44 years old and suffering from cancer, authorities said cattle had trampled the Knox County, Tenn., district attorney in an agricultural accident at his farm. But today his widow, Raynella Dossett Leath, 59, was charged with first-degree murder in his death, which is…

Jul 31, 2008 11:35 PM CDT

Prison Co.‘s Settlement Records are Public, Tenn. Judge Says

Corrections Corp. of America, a private company that runs state prisons in Tennessee, is subject to the state’s open records law, a Chancery Court judge has ruled, because it is the “functional equivalent” of a state agency. The company now plans to appeal. But if the ruling is upheld and…

Jul 30, 2008 6:09 PM CDT

Gibson Dunn Fights ‘Yo-Yo Effect’ in $13M Punitive Damages Case

From $98 million to $20 million to $13.3 million to zero and now back to $13.4 million again, the value of a closely watched Tennessee wrongful death case against an automobile manufacturer has swung back and forth, in what one defense lawyer refers to as a “yo-yo effect.” Now, after…

Jul 29, 2008 7:30 PM CDT

$13M in Punitives OK’d in Tennessee Wrongful Death Case

The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld a $13 million award of punitive damages against an automobile manufacturer in a closely watched case claiming that a dangerous minivan seat caused the death of an 8-month-old passenger. But it rejected an additional $6 million in punitives for the mother’s emotional distress, reports…

Jul 28, 2008 6:30 PM CDT

Ex-Juvenile Court Judge Pleads Guilty to Viewing Child Porn at Law Office

A former juvenile court judge in Tennessee has pleaded guilty to possessing more than 100 images of child pornography on the computer at his law office. The former judge, Ronald R. Reagan of Sevierville, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release, the Knoxville News…

Jul 25, 2008 1:22 PM CDT