Hamilton County Emergency Communications District v. Bellsouth Telecommunications, LLC
The case concerns multiple Emergency Communications Districts (ECDs) in Tennessee, led by Hamilton County ECD, suing BellSouth Telecommunications, LLC (d/b/a AT&T Tennessee) for allegedly under-billing, under-collecting, and under-remitting 911 emergency service charges. The plaintiffs asserted claims including violations of the Tennessee False Claims Act, the Emergency Communications District Law (ECD Law), breach of fiduciary duty, various misrepresentation claims (fraudulent, negligent, and concealment), and common law negligence, also seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. The court granted in part and denied in part the defendant's motion to dismiss, specifically dismissing claims related to the ECD Law (Count II) and negligence/negligence per se (Count VII). However, it allowed the False Claims Act, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation, and declaratory/injunctive relief claims to proceed. The court also denied the plaintiffs' motion for partial summary judgment, deeming it premature.