Happy New Year to all the attorneys practicing in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit.  I have a few updates and alerts and announcements.

 

1.  I appreciate all those who have expressed concern for the ongoing problem with my right eye.  I went for my six month follow up, and my retina is still reattached and doing as well as can be, though I do have some scarring from the surgery.  I am now scheduled for the removal of the cataract caused by the retinal surgery.  That procedure will be performed outpatient on Thursday, January 30th.  Judge House has kindly agreed to fill in for me on the non-jury civil calendar call in Catoosa County that day.

 

2. Speaking of the non-jury civil calendar.......

    Doing things the way I do them, there is almost always an order entered periodically in Catoosa civil cases.  This prevents the operation of the dormancy statute and can lead to things hanging around for a while.  Therefore, commencing on Monday, February 10, 2013 I will be calendaring old civil cases for daily trial calendars.  This will commence with the oldest civil cases and work through until we are some semblance of caught up.  I plant to schedule at least five cases a day. 

    These will be actual, factual trial dates.  The cases will either be tried or dismissed.  No continuances will be granted except upon written motion stating a legal ground for continuance. 

 

3. In order to have the days open in order to schedule these civil cases the required 20 days in advance, I will not be specially setting any civil cases until further notice.  DO NOT pester Cindy Hall for a date to specially set a civil case until you are notified that it is ok to do so again on the award winning website.  Those of you wanting newer cases set should review the current civil non-jury calendar and get rid of as much as you can that was filed before 2008.  Once we are caught up to my satisfaction, I will resume specially setting civil cases.

 

4. I went to a seminar a few weeks ago at which I became acquainted with a website called KidsOnTime.com.  It appears to have some useful features to it.  So far, I have ordered the parties in one domestic relations case to use it.  While realizing that this website will not be something everyone in every case can make work, I do intend to explore its further use.  Please look at it on your own and be prepared to address the use of it.  The website does indeed cost money to use and I realize that may be an issue for many.  However, let us not hear too many complaints about spending a small amount of  money to benefit  children when we are sitting there with a bass boat, Harley or an Hermes purse.

 

5. The Catoosa County Jail Status conference day in February will be mainly for those in jail that will be on the March, 2014 trial calendar.  If you have a concern about a case that you think should be addressed that day, notify the other side and then ask that it be placed on that calendar.