Margaret Dodson ’16 and fellow Bass Berry & Sims associate Jeff Gibson were honored by the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee as Pro Bono Attorneys of the Year.
Dodson and Gibson were recognized for their work on behalf of an intellectually and developmentally disabled young man whose TennCare benefits were being cut. They worked with representatives from the Tennessee Justice Center and the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee to bring a federal lawsuit challenging the denial of benefits. They were successful in ensuring their client, who was threatened with the loss of the 24-hour, 7-days-a-week skilled nurse care he needed after he reached ag 21.
The lawsuit Dodson and Gibson and the legal team filed on behalf of their client claimed that TennCare’s policies as applied to their client violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The team was successful is securing a stay in the lawsuit to permit their client to undergo a trial period in a group home where he can receive round-the-clock care.
