/in /by

August 1, 2018

8-1-18Jordan Knight and Lee Niedrach recently represented a retired married couple and successfully resolved a lawsuit brought on their behalf against a Fortune 100 telecommunications giant. The telecommunications company had plans to put up a cell phone tower on neighboring property. The vesting deed to the adjacent property stated that it could only be used for residential purposes. Jordan and Lee took the company to court for an injunction, damages, and attorneys’ fees, arguing that the installation of a cell tower would be a violation of the deed covenants. Before ever having to appear in court, Jordan and Lee exceeded their clients’ expectations by securing a significant settlement from the company to permanently resolve the matter.

/in /by

June 27, 2018

6-27-18Lee Niedrach resolved a lawsuit brought against a major box retail store for a highly favorable amount 75 TIMES the long-standing offer that had been on the table. Lee’s client, a customer, slipped on water that had been on the ground all day that the store failed to clean up. The customer had soft tissue injuries only, mostly hip pain that began a week after falling. The store denied liability and filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the judge the throw the lawsuit out. The judge sided with Lee that the case should go to a jury. Unhappy with that prospect, the store appealed to the Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The 3-member panel of judges again sided with Lee that the case should go to a jury. At that point, with a jury trial looming, the store finally agreed to a confidential settlement.

/in /by

June 1, 2018

6-1-18MSP is proud to give over $2,000.00 its attorneys and staff have donated to support the amazing people at Cancer Navigators, as they make sure every day that cancer patients and their families are given the support they need and deserve “because people shouldn’t have to journey alone.” Please join us this Sunday at Barron Stadium from 2:00 – 4:00 P.M. to honor our community’s cancer survivors and remember those that we have lost. This year we will pay special tribute to two of our own – Tracy Harman (late husband of Virginia Harman, known to his loved ones as Doodad) and Shawn Laney (late brother of Melissa Laney).

/in /by

May 23, 2018

5-23-18MSP extends its heartfelt congratulations to Kay Ann Wetherington, who last night was elected Floyd County’s newest Superior Court Judge. Kay Ann brings her 25 years of civil and criminal trial experience to the bench when she succeeds Judge Colston upon her retirement at the end of this year. Kay Ann’s new role follows her decades of service to the community, including 20 years of prosecuting criminals as an Assistant District Attorney.

/in /by

May 17, 2018

5-18-18MSP partners Virginia Harman and Andy Garner have been appointed to the Rome Circuit Public Defender’s Oversight Committee by the Floyd County Board of Commissioners and Governor Nathan Deal, respectively. Virginia and Andy recently participated in the hiring of chief public defender, Sean Lowe, as reported in the Rome News-Tribune article below. The committee also performs yearly evaluations of the public defender’s office and provides support and assistance to the chief public defender. Great job Virginia and Andy! You can read more about their appointment here.

/in /by

May 1, 2018

5-1-18MSP attorneys Lee Niedrach and Chris Jackson recently obtained a significant 5-figure settlement for the family of a local toddler. Due to negligent oversight, the three-year-old girl’s ring finger was broken in the hinge of a large door at preschool. Thankfully she has fully recovered and has no permanent injuries.

Lee and Chris were able to utilize Freedom of Information Act requests to discover that a state investigation found inadequate supervision and fined the preschool for the incident. Lee and Chris leveraged this information to obtain the highly favorable settlement. After ensuring all of the child’s medical bills were covered, they had the remainder of the settlement money placed in a conservatorship. There it will accrue interest until the child turns 18, at which time the money will become available to help her pay for college and any other expense she has.

/in /by

April 30, 2018

4-30-18MSP showed support for the Exchange Club Family Resource Center by dressing in blue for “Blue Monday.” The mission of the Family Resource Center is to provide education and support services to families in Rome and Floyd County, Georgia. They work to strengthen parenting and life skills in order to prevent child abuse and neglect, providing safety, permanency, and well being for countless children and families.

This is MSP’s fourth year participating in the Family Resource Center’s Blue Monday awareness campaign.

/in /by

April 4, 2018

Mike at UGA

MSP Partner and Cedartown City Attorney Michael D. McRae recently had the honor of speaking at the Newly Elected Officials Institute hosted by the University of Georgia. Since 1984 the Institute has introduced incoming city leaders to best practices in local governance. McRae was 2018’s keynote speaker on ethics for municipal officials, having authored and co-founded the Model Code of Ethics for the Georgia Municipal Association. The attached article featured prominently in the February 28, 2018 edition of the Polk County Standard Journal. (Click on picture to expand).

/in /by

April 2, 2018

4-2-18MSP is proud to announce that partner Virginia Barrow Harman was elected last month to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Georgia Conservancy. Virginia is shown above on a paddle trip which the Georgia Conservancy sponsored on Georgia’s great Altamaha River.

The Georgia Conservancy is a statewide, member-supported conservation organization. Founded in 1967, the Georgia Conservancy has a rich history of working with private citizens, business, government and academia to protect and conserve the state’s natural resources. The GC works for land conservation, environmental advocacy, coastal protection, sustainable growth and outdoor stewardship and recognizes the connection between the environment, the economy and our quality of life here in Georgia.

A life-long advocate for conservation and stewardship of our natural resources, Virginia states that she is extremely excited to serve with such a well-respected and effective organization as the Georgia Conservancy.

/in /by

March 30, 2018

3-30-18Congratulations to MSP attorney Linton S. Johnson, III on his latest success in the courtroom. Lint was recently hired by a client who had been charged with a criminal violation of the Georgia Move-Over Law, which requires Georgia drivers to take certain actions when approaching stopped emergency vehicles. Lint’s client was driving her vehicle in the shoulder lane where two police vehicles had pulled over an 18-wheeler truck. One of the officers immediately got back in his car and pulled over our client to issue her a Move-Over Law citation.

Prior to trial, Lint was able to obtain a dash-cam video of the alleged infraction. After reviewing the tape and other evidence, Lint was able to present his client’s version of events to the prosecuting attorney showing that the officers were hidden from view by the 18-wheeler truck. Lint secured a complete dismissal of all charges without trial and our client was thereby spared from any wrongful court fines, license points, driving record infractions, or insurance premium increases. This case was another example of how a thorough examination of criminal charges through the eyes of trained counsel such as Lint can greatly benefit a criminal defendant.