In this interlocutory appeal, the employee alleges the trial court erred in declining to order the employer to authorize additional medical treatment, including left knee surgery. The employee initially injured his low back while working in the course and scope of his employment. After the employee underwent lumbar surgery, the employer offered him a transitional light duty position at a local nonprofit organization, which he accepted. While working in that position, the employee reported a fall that he claimed caused a left knee injury. Following a previous expedited hearing, the trial court ordered the employer to provide a panel of physicians for evaluation and treatment of the left knee. The panelselected physician initially offered an opinion that the employee’s left knee condition was primarily caused by the work-related fall the employee had described. He subsequently recommended left knee surgery. Later, in response to a questionnaire from the employer, the physician appeared to rescind his original causation opinion. During his subsequent deposition, the physician testified that the left knee condition could have been caused by the incident the employee described, but that causation was difficult to ascertain under the circumstances. Following receipt of all evidence, declarations, and briefs filed by the parties, the trial court issued a decision on the record in which it found the employee had not come forward with sufficient evidence indicating he was likely to prevail at trial in proving the cause of the need for additional left knee treatment, and the employee appealed. Upon careful consideration of the record, we affirm the trial court’s order and remand the case.

Three Tennessee law schools recently have added to their faculties. Vanderbilt University Law School has added Jeff Gordon, who will teach courses on tax law, federal budget law, legislation and regulation; Jeffrey Bellin, who will teach classes related to criminal law and evidence and join the Branstetter Litigation & Dispute Resolution Program and Criminal Justice Program; and Anne-Marie Moyes, who has been named the inaugural clinic director of The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic, which supports the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals in Tennessee. Belmont University College of Law has expanded its experiential learning program with increased staffing and the addition of a three-credit hour seminar. Patrick Riley will serve as director of field placements and teach the seminar, while former director Kristi Arth steps into a new role as assistant dean of experiential learning. The law school also has hired former Loyola Law School professor Joe Sliskovich to teach courses on business associations, federal income tax and business and tax planning. Finally, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) has hired Joseph A. Figueroa and Courtney Panter as assistant professors of law.

Three families are suing the Williamson County Board of Education and Legacy Middle School’s principal after a transgender student was allowed to participate in a girls-only sex education class. The families claim the decision violated Tennessee law and caused emotional harm to students. The plaintiffs, represented by state Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, seek to bar anyone other than “biological females” from the course and criticize a school counselor’s LGBTQ+ advocacy as conflicting with the state’s abstinence-based policy. The Nashville Post reports that Bulso, who recently launched a bid to fill Mark Green's seat representing the 7th Congressional District, is promoting the lawsuit as part of his campaign. In a web post he asks supporters to help him “take this fight to Washington” and stop “the madness.”

The Trump administration has proposed a rule change to the Supplemental Security Income program that could cut or eliminate benefits for about 375,000 disabled people nationwide, including 7,500 in Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the change would end an exception that currently prevents benefits from being reduced when individuals live with family members who receive SNAP food assistance. Analysts estimate the shift could completely end benefits nationwide for 100,000 people and reduce payments for another 275,000.

The Memphis City Council is considering a plan to dedicate $900,000 toward a stronger legal push against blighted properties, with a final vote possible Sept. 9. The funds, redirected from a policing task force proposal, come from interest earned on federal COVID-19 relief money. The Daily Memphian reports that City Attorney Tannera Gibson said the money will be used to hire additional attorneys and outside counsel to move blight cases from general sessions environmental court to chancery court for quicker resolutions. The approach could eventually become self-sustaining through revenue from restored properties sold out of receivership, while also freeing up code-enforcement officers from heavy court duties according to the city.

Make plans now to attend the TBA’s 2025 Health Law Primer and Health Law Forum this fall. The primer will take place Nov. 12 at Barnes & Thornburg in Nashville. Designed for those new to health practice, that program will provide a general health law overview and practical tips to identify and avoid the pitfalls of real-life situations in the heavily regulated health care industry. Then on Nov. 13 and 14, the forum will take place at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. The two-day event will dig deeper into topics such as regulatory fraud and abuse, medical malpractice, controlled substances enforcement, a legislative update, AI contracting issues, ethics and more. The premier program for Tennessee health care lawyers, the forum provides all necessary CLE requirements for the year — 12 general hours and three dual hours — while providing opportunities to connect with colleagues from across the state. Get more information and register here.

Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia have asked a federal judge to dismiss his human smuggling case, arguing the prosecution is a retaliatory effort by the Trump administration for their client's successful challenge to removal to El Salvador. The Associated Press reports they cite public attacks from Donald Trump and top officials as evidence of “vindictive prosecution,” claiming the government is trying to punish him and reshape public opinion after deporting him in 2019 despite a judge’s order protecting him from gang violence. Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. under a Supreme Court order to face the smuggling charges. The case arose from a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. The legal team is seeking at least a hearing on the government’s motives. The Hill also reports on the developments.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that internal investigations conducted by Jones Day and Squire Patton Boggs for FirstEnergy Corp. are likely shielded from disclosure under attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine. The ruling stayed a lower court order requiring disclosure in a shareholder lawsuit, citing the Supreme Court’s Upjohn decision, which protects internal legal investigations. The appeals court emphasized that privilege applies regardless of whether advice is later used for business purposes while the work-product doctrine covers materials prepared amid extensive legal and regulatory actions. The decision follows FirstEnergy’s involvement in a bribery scandal tied to the former Ohio state House speaker and a $230 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2021. The ABA Journal has the story.

In this first edition of Voices of the YLD in 2026, Jillian McGauley reflects upon her experiences as a Rural Judicial Fellow during the summer of 2025. McGauley had the opportunity to work with General Sessions Judge Lee Bussart in Lewisburg. She writes about her meaningful experiences with the Marshall County Recovery and Mental Health Court Program. McGauley and five other law students participated in the inaugural Rural Judicial Fellowship (RJF) program led by YLD Middle Tennessee Governor Alix Rogers and YLD East Tennessee Governor Judge Zack Walden. Applications for the 2026 Rural Judicial Program are now available and are due on Feb. 27 by 5 p.m. CST. Originally from Kentucky, McGauley is a 2L at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. 

There’s more to starting a new firm than just having a great legal mind or a great team. There are many business decisions to be made, including determing the type of business entity to set up, the compensation structure for lawyers and legal assistants, and choosing a system for tracking and reporting finances. Get insights on these and other decisions that will need to be made in the Opening a Firm section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.