News
February 11, 2019
Video recordings from oral argument held before the Tennessee Supreme Court in February are available online. This is the second time oral arguments have been video recorded and made available to the public.“There has been too much mystique about the Supreme Court for too long,” Chief Justice Jeff…
February 8, 2019
Twelfth Judicial District Chancellor Jeff Stewart retired in 2018 after nearly 30 years on the bench serving the people of Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie Counties.In honor of Chancellor Stewart’s many years of service, friends, family members, fellow judges, and other…
February 5, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear six cases on February 6, 2019. The details of the cases are as follows: Wednesday, February 6, 2019TWB Architects, Inc. v. The Braxton, LLC, et al. –This case stems from a contractual dispute related to architectural design services. The trial…
January 31, 2019
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the Court of Appeals vacancy created by the appointment of Brandon O. Gibson as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor.Any interested applicant must be a licensed attorney who is at least 30 years of age, a…
January 31, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that an employer is not liable for workers’ compensation benefits for not using an available automated external defibrillator (AED) to assist an employee who suffered a non-work related medical emergency. An AED is a medical device that delivers an electric…
January 30, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld two death sentences for the man who murdered two individuals in their home in Bartlett, Tennessee, in 2003.Henry Lee Jones appealed his convictions and sentences after a jury found him guilty of the premeditated murder of both victims, Clarence and Lillian…
January 29, 2019
In a workers’ compensation case, the Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed an award of permanent partial disability benefits to Christopher Batey, an employee of Deliver This, Inc. For its reasoning, the Court adopted the opinion issued earlier by the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.In…
January 28, 2019
The National Judicial Opioid Task Force, co-chaired by Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate, recently launched a resource center to address the ongoing opioid epidemic featuring dozens of facts sheets, videos, and other resources for judges and the general…
January 25, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that the attorney-client privilege protects communications between a business’s attorneys and a third party when the third party acts as the functional equivalent of an employee and when the communications relate to the attorney’s representation of the business…
January 24, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld a decision of a Hearing Panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility to suspend for six months the law license of Gerald S. Green, a Memphis attorney with a long history of disciplinary sanctions. The suspension incudes 30 days of active…
January 24, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an Order today allowing the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners to reopen bar exam applications for the February 26-27, 2019 exam to allow applicants who had applied to take the exam in Washington, D.C. to take the exam in Tennessee. Around 900 law graduates had…
January 18, 2019
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has appointed members to the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Reform Implementation Council. During the prior legislative session, Haslam proposed, and the Tennessee General Assembly passed, reforms to the state’s juvenile justice system based on recommendations from the…
January 17, 2019
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has appointed Patricia Head Moskal of Nashville as Chancellor of the Chancery Court for the 20th Judicial District, which serves Davidson County. Moskal replaces Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman, who retired earlier this month. Moskal, 64, has practiced law in…
January 18, 2019
In a case closely watched by Tennessee’s business community, the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that trial courts cannot use evidence outside of the written agreement—called “extrinsic” evidence—to interpret a contract if that evidence is used to contradict the contract’s written terms.Beginning…
January 17, 2019
Davidson County Chancellor Claudia C. Bonnyman was celebrated for her many years of public service by colleagues, friends, and family at a retirement reception held Tuesday at the Metropolitan Courthouse in Nashville.Chancellor Bonnyman served on the Davidson County Chancery Court for 15 years;…
January 15, 2019
When Tennessee’s newest federal judge, Mark Norris, took the public oath of office to sit as a trial judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, his state judicial colleagues were there to show their support. Before taking the bench, Judge Norris served in the…
January 8, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear three cases on January 9, 2019. The details of the cases are as follows: Wednesday, January 9, 2019Estate of Ella Mae Haire, et al. v. Shelby J. Webster, et al-This case examines the nature of a joint tenant with right of survivorship bank account…
January 8, 2019
Tennessee Governor-elect Bill Lee announced his appointment of Judge Brandon Gibson to serve as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor, a cabinet-level position.“Brandon is a principled conservative with deep rural roots in our state,” said Lee. “She is widely respected for her service on…
January 7, 2019
In a divided opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has reversed and dismissed the conviction of a Davidson County man for attempted especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor—“attempted child sexual exploitation”—in a case in which he secretly videotaped a 13-year-old female relative while…
January 4, 2019
The Knoxville Bar Association bestowed awards on two East Tennessee judges at its recent annual meeting. Sixth Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Deborah C. Stevens was given the Presidents’ Award in recognition of her longtime service on the KBA’s Diversity in Profession Committee, while…