Barnett Industries Buys 54 Unincorporated Acres

Barnett Industries Inc. of Placida, Fla., paid $934,000 for 54.1 acres in unincorporated Southeast Shelby County from Stateline Properties LLC. The sale closed Dec. 21 and appeared to be an internal transfer between related entities, with both of them listing the same address.

Zoned for farm and agricultural use, the vacant land sits along the Tennessee-Mississippi state line. The Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2009 appraisal is the same as the sale price, $934,000.

William C. Barnett Jr. signed the warranty deed as chief manager and sole member of Stateline Properties as well as individually. No loan was associated with the sale.

Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports

– Eric Smith

County, City Lender Suit Could Come Today

A major announcement is coming today about the long-delayed push to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of Memphis and Shelby County governments over unscrupulous mortgage lending practices. Details will be provided during a press conference at The National Civil Rights Museum.

Discussions with some of those involved point to the announcement marking the start of a high-profile court battle only a few other major cities are pursuing. A media advisory from the city of Memphis released Wednesday morning said both city and county mayors will announce today "the joint filing of a federal lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act," and Wells Fargo appears to be the likely defendant, though others could become part of the suit.

City and county leaders decided about a year ago to drag into court national lenders whose practices – like pushing high-cost loans in minority communities – may have worsened the area’s foreclosure problem. Two weeks ago, the Memphis City Council endorsed a Washington-based law firm’s involvement in the suit after the original outside firm chosen for the task decided to step away.

– Andy Meek

Wilder in ICU After Stroke

Former Lt. Gov. John Wilder was in “pretty serious” condition Tuesday in the intensive care unit of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, a Democratic Party official said.

Wilder, 88, suffered a stroke Monday and was airlifted to the hospital, said Steve Butler, chairman of the Fayette County Democratic Party.

“It obviously happened sometime (Monday) morning and they didn’t find him until the afternoon, about 1:30,” Butler said.

Sam McKnight, director of Fayette County’s Emergency Medical Service, said Wilder lives alone but his family lives near him.

“They talk on the cell phone regularly and they couldn’t get him, so they went over to check on him,” McKnight said.

Wilder’s son, Shelton Wilder, found his father unconscious and called the ambulance, McKnight said.

McKnight said privacy laws prevent him from speaking about Wilder’s medical condition.

Wilder was Senate speaker for 36 years, making him the longest-serving presiding officer of a legislative chamber in modern U.S. history. As lieutenant governor from 1971 to 2007 he was also the second-ranking official in the state. He retired from the Legislature in 2008.

“He is one of those people who has made history in Tennessee and is known all over the country,” said John Deberry, a Memphis Democrat and chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus. “I think that all of the people of the state of Tennessee wish him well ... and hope that he recovers.”

– The Associated Press

Memphis Attorney Suspended By State Board

Charles A. Sevier of the Memphis firm Eskins King & Sevier PC was suspended Dec. 23 by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Sevier violated state disciplinary rules by “failing to inform his client that he had an affair with the client’s wife prior to representing him in a divorce proceeding against his wife,” according to a statement from the Board of Professional Responsibility. These actions violated state Supreme Court Rule 8 and the Rules of Professional Conduct 1.7 (conflict of interest) and 8.4 (misconduct).

Pursuant to a conditional guilty plea, Sevier can be suspended for one year under the Supreme Court rules. However, the BPR said in its statement that the imposition of the final six months of the suspension will be lifted, placing Sevier on probation for the remaining six months.

Sevier also was ordered to pay the expenses and costs of the disciplinary proceedings against him and to comply with the requirements and obligations of suspended attorneys as set out in Rule 9 of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

– Rebekah Hearn

Martin Tate Attorneys Honored by Law & Politics

Eleven attorneys from Martin Tate Morrow & Marston PC have been selected as 2009 Super Lawyers and 2009 Mid-South Rising Stars by Law & Politics.

The attorneys selected as Super Lawyers are Richard M. Carter, intellectual property litigation; W. Thomas Hutton, estate planning and probate; Jeffrey E. Thompson, estate planning and probate; Lee L. Piovarcy, transportation/maritime; David C. Wade, civil litigation defense; James C. Warner, real estate; and Shea Sisk Wellford, business litigation.

The attorneys selected as Rising Stars are Paul H. Morris, intellectual property; Lauri H. Prather, general litigation; Adam C. Simpson, business litigation; and J. Lewis Wardlaw, land use/zoning.

– Taylor Shoptaw