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A resolution honoring and recognizing David Tarpley for 56 years of service to the people of Nashville and Davidson County as an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.
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WHEREAS, David Tarpley joined the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands in 1971, immediately upon his graduation from Vanderbilt University Law School, and has served the low-income residents of Middle Tennessee continuously in the 56 years since, never once leaving the practice of poverty law; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarpley has served as the longtime managing attorney of the Legal Aid Society's consumer section and as its lead housing and consumer law attorney, representing Nashvillians facing foreclosure rescue schemes, predatory lending, unlawful debt collection, usurious lending, and fraudulent home solicitation sales; and
WHEREAS, through his litigation, Mr. Tarpley has secured not only relief for individual clients but also structural protection for the broader public, including a series of federal actions against a Tennessee collection agency that resulted in cash settlements, a permanent injunction against numerous illegal practices, and the revocation of the agency's license by the Tennessee Collection Services Board; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarpley filed Tennessee's first case coupling equitable mortgage and Truth in Lending Act claims on behalf of a homeowner victimized by a foreclosure rescue scheme, and secured rescission of the transaction in federal district court; and
WHEREAS, in eighteen mortgage rescission actions against a trio of commonly owned corporations engaged in high-pressure, fraudulent home solicitation sales, Mr. Tarpley obtained rescission of the installment contract and release of the mortgage in every single case; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarpley has shaped the body of Tennessee consumer law itself, drafting legislation and testifying before legislative committees on landmark statutes including the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, the state's garnishment and exemption statutes, the interest and usury code, the rent-to-own statute, the Tennessee Check Advance Act, and the Tennessee Home Loan Protection Act; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarpley has served on the board of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Middle Tennessee for more than two decades, and has taught consumer protection at Vanderbilt University Law School, mentoring generations of Tennessee attorneys and presenting continuing legal education programs in Tennessee and at least seven other states; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarpley's integrity commands such respect across the bar that attorneys who opposed him in court have made bequests to the Legal Aid Society in his honor, one of which is the largest endowment the organization has ever received and which established a consumer law chair for his work; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarpley has been recognized with the Tennessee Bar Association's Public Service Attorney of the Year Award, the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services' Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Nashville Business Journal's Best of the Bar Lifetime Achievement Award; and
WHEREAS, when asked what kept him at the Legal Aid Society for more than five decades, Mr. Tarpley answered simply, "This was, is, my life"; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council recognize a Nashvillian who has given the whole of his professional life to ensuring that the protection of the law extends to those least able to purchase it.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That the Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as recognizing David Tarpley for 56 years of extraordinary service to the people of Nashville and Davidson County on the occasion of his retirement from the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.
Section 2. That the Metropolitan Council Office is directed to prepare a copy of this Resolution for presentation to Mr. Tarpley.
Section 3. That this Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.