Charlie Hatcher, who stepped down last month as Tennessee’s agriculture commissioner, is expected to announce this week that he will challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District, The Tennessee Journal reports. A Williamson County veterinarian, Hatcher has served nearly seven years as the head of the Agriculture Department for Gov. Bill Lee. He previously worked for a decade as the state veterinarian.

The Tennessee Board of Law Examiners has released statistics about the state's July 2025 bar exam. According to the board, 710 individuals — 603 first time test takers and 107 repeaters — took the exam. They represent more than 80 different law schools and saw an overall pass rate of 73%. For first time test-takers at Tennessee law schools, Belmont University College of Law saw the highest pass rate of 96.9%, followed by Vanderbilt University Law School at 92.5%, University of Tennessee Winston College of Law at 87.4%, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at 75%, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law at 74.7% and Nashville School of Law at 68.8%. See all statistical information released by the board or see the list of those who passed and the dates for swearing in ceremonies.

A disciplinary item in yesterday’s issue of TBA Today omitted a link to the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility’s press release announcing the revocation for probation for Davidson County lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman. The document is now attached to the article. View it here.

Cris Helton, former Chattanooga attorney and East Ridge judge, was arrested in Panama City, Florida, on the felony count of making a written threat to kill or do bodily harm to his wife and her friend. Chattanoogan.com reports that on Sept. 28, Helton texted a death threat and a photo of a knife to his wife, Kimberly Helton. Helton is free on a $50,000 bond and is due back in court on Nov. 3. Helton was suspended from the practice of law in 2024 for five years after he failed to file required federal income tax returns for several years and willfully attempted to avoid his tax liabilities.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Bobbie Jo Denson complied with Tennessee’s health care liability pre-suit notice statute. Denson sent pre-suit notice and later filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of two minor grandchildren under Tennessee’s Health Care Liability Act after she gained legal custody of the children. In the pre-suit notice, Denson identified herself rather than her grandchildren as the claimants. Defendants filed motions to dismiss, arguing Denson did not substantially comply with notice requirements because the minor children were not identified in the notice. The trial court found that Denson substantially complied with the requirements. A divided panel of the Court of Appeals reversed. The Supreme Court sided with the trial court, finding that Denson properly identified herself as the claimant because as minors, the grandchildren were unable to give notice or file a lawsuit.

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Knoxville attorney Roy Lewis Aaron died Oct. 6 at age 78. He received his degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1969, and his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) in 1972. Licensed to practice in both Florida and Tennessee, Aaron joined the law firm of Hodges, Doughty & Carson in 1976 with a focus on estate planning and tax law, becoming a partner in 1980. He retired in 2017 but continued in an “of counsel” capacity with the firm. He was a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and the Knoxville Bar Foundation. A memorial service will be held on Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. EST at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, 9132 Kingston Pike, Knoxville 37923. Receiving of friends will follow in the Welcome Hall. Memorials may be made to the Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave., Knoxville 37916 or Friends of the Smokies.

Appellant appeals the trial court’s dismissal of his health care liability action. Because Appellant has not complied with appellate briefing requirements, we dismiss this appeal.

The plaintiff appeals the trial court’s summary judgment dismissal of her personal injury negligence action against a social services organization. The trial court found that the action was barred by the applicable one-year statute of limitations and that the discovery rule did not apply to toll the statute of limitations. Because the plaintiff’s action accrued more than one year before she filed the lawsuit, we conclude that summary judgment in favor of the defendant was properly granted. Accordingly, we affirm.

Matthew Long applied for disability pension benefits from the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund. After a hearing by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, his application was denied. Mr. Long sought judicial review. The trial court reviewed the denial of benefits under Tennessee’s Uniform Administrative Procedures Act (“UAPA”) and held that the Board’s interpretation of the Pension Benefits Policy was arbitrary and capricious and unsupported by sufficient and material evidence. The trial court reversed the Board’s decision and awarded Mr. Long benefits. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court, holding that the court had subject-matter jurisdiction over the case and that the Board’s decision was arbitrary and capricious. The Court of Appeals found the Policy ambiguous and construed it liberally in favor of Mr. Long. On appeal to this Court, the Fund challenges the reversal of the Board’s decision. We conclude that the Court of Appeals erred in finding the Policy ambiguous and in construing it liberally. We hold that under a fair reading of the Policy, the Board’s decision was not arbitrary and capricious, unsupported by sufficient and material evidence, or otherwise reversible under the UAPA. Accordingly, we reverse the judgments of the Court of Appeals and the trial court. We remand to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.