The family of an inmate who died at the Shelby County Jail in 2025 has filed a federal lawsuit alleging negligence and inadequate medical care, the Daily Memphian reports. Courtney Berry died March 30, 2025, after he was found unresponsive in a jail bathroom, more than a month after being booked for an alleged violation of a suspended sentence. An autopsy found he died from heart complications. The suit alleges that Berry had complained of chest pain and made multiple requests for medical assistance that were ignored or inadequately addressed. The complaint further claims his death reflects a broader pattern of neglect of inmates’ medical needs at the facility. Filed March 17, the suit names Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., the jail’s medical provider WellPath, and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris as defendants. The suit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages. Neither the sheriff’s office nor Harris commented on the allegations.

A federal judge has dismissed most claims in a class action lawsuit involving families who lost loved ones in the 2016 Gatlinburg wildfires, narrowing the case against the National Park Service, Knox News reports. U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer tossed claims that park officials failed to follow fire protocol. In his opinion yesterday, Greer said park officials made a judgment call and they did enough in their firefighting efforts, though they made errors in their assessment of the fire. The final focus of the lawsuit will center on claims that the park's command structure, namely Fire Management Officer Greg Salansky, was wearing too many hats to properly handle the constantly changing conditions of the fire. Those claims from victims' families and insurance companies will continue through the federal courts.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for its April docket on April 8 at Union University in Jackson, with proceedings beginning at 9 a.m. CDT. Oral arguments will be heard at the Harvey Auditorium in the Barefoot Student Union Building and will be accessible by livestream. The court is scheduled to hear three cases addressing issues including class certification and legal malpractice claims, statutory interpretation in a negligence dispute, and the obligations of district attorneys general in municipal court proceedings. Read more about each case in a press release.

Sessions from the 2026 Estate Planning & Probate Forum are available now as a 1-Click package — a comprehensive CLE bundle providing seven hours of programming, including six general hours and one dual hour. The sessions cover a range of timely topics, including probate litigation strategy, the growing role of artificial intelligence in estate planning workflows, legislative updates, ethics and conflict-of-interest considerations, public receiverships and a probate panel featuring experienced practitioners, judges and court officials. The programming aims to equip estate planning attorneys with immediately applicable tools and help them stay current on developments impacting the field. Purchase the package or individual sessions.

A lawsuit seeking to remove Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert from office will proceed even as her term is set to end in September. The Tennessee Supreme Court denied Halbert’s appeal of a lower court decision allowing the ouster case to move forward and found that the county attorney has the authority to bring the lawsuit, according to Action News 5. Halbert has faced repeated scrutiny in recent years, including calls for her removal over audit findings and concerns about management of the clerk’s office.

Sen. Ferrell Haile, R-Sumner, confirmed he will run to become Tennessee’s next speaker of the Senate and lieutenant governor, Gallatin News reports. Haile, a Gallatin native who has represented District 18 — which includes Sumner and Trousdale counties — since 2013, will seek the Republican nomination for speaker. Under the Tennessee Constitution, the Senate speaker also serves as lieutenant governor and is next in line should the governor’s office become vacant. Haile currently serves as Senate speaker pro tempore, a position he has held since 2018. Meanwhile, three candidates have entered the race to succeed Lt. Gov. Randy McNally in Senate District 5. McNally announced in February he would not run again.

The Tennessee Bar Association’s online renewal for 2026-2027 is now open! Renew your membership to continue your access to TBA Today, the Tennessee Bar Journal, three free hours of CLE, resources for starting and building a new firm, and free legal research tool, as well as savings on a range of products and services. Be sure to check out TBA's new pro bono portal, solo health insurance plan and expanded discounts on travel. Attorneys not participating in the TBA's firm billing program can log in and renew through their MyTBA dashboard. The TBA membership team will be working with firm administrators for those participating in firm billing so check with your firm administrator if you have questions about that process.

The Tennessee Supreme Court censured Dyer County attorney Matthew Wayne Willis on March 30. While representing a client before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the court says Willis used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to aid him in preparation of a reply brief. The court found that more than 70% of the citations were fictitious, and Willis took no action to check the accuracy of the citations. Willis stated that he believed a paralegal in his office performed a full citation check including verifying references to the technical record, transcript and legal authorities. But the court found that he failed to verify his paralegal checked the citations before filing the brief. His actions were found to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 5.3 and 8.4.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on March 31 censured Green County lawyer Catherine Elizabeth Fezell. On May 14, 2024, Fezell was scheduled to appear for a court docket to represent clients in multiple matters. When she failed to appear, she was contacted by court personnel inquiring about her whereabouts. Upon arrival at court, Fezell was observed by multiple witnesses, including court staff and colleagues, to appear to be under the influence. Due to her apparent condition, she could not appear before the court, and the scheduled hearings had to be reset. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Fezell violated Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3 and 8.4(d).

The federal judiciary has requested $9.7 billion in funding for fiscal year 2027, including $920.9 million for courthouse security — a 3.2% increase driven by a 57% surge in serious security incidents against judges last year — and ongoing problems with outdated equipment. The budget also seeks $10 million for a new case management system and nearly $50 million for cybersecurity upgrades following multiple cyberattacks, including a foreign hack targeting sealed court documents. Additionally, the judiciary is requesting $1.8 billion for federal public defenders to address rising caseloads, particularly in immigration and death penalty cases, after a 16-month hiring freeze and a recent shortage of funds to reimburse private attorneys assisting indigent defendants. Bloomberg Law has the story.