News
December 11, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court extensively analyzed when the statute of limitations begins to run in legal malpractice cases. While the Court declined to change current Tennessee law or adopt a new doctrine, it held that both the trial court and appellate court were incorrect as to when the plaintiffs…
December 8, 2017
Source: December 7, 2017 Tennessee General Assembly Press ReleaseToday, the Joint Ad-hoc Blue Ribbon Tennessee Task Force on Juvenile Justice delivered to state leaders a set of data-driven policy recommendations intended to:Protect public safety and contain costs by focusing system resources on…
December 6, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that, when one spouse unilaterally withdraws money from a married couple’s joint bank account and places the funds in a certificate of deposit, the funds are no longer joint property and belong to the spouse to whom the certificate of deposit was…
December 5, 2017
Richard R. “Dick” Vance, a circuit court judge in the Fourth Judicial District, passed away on Sunday, December 3, 2017. He was 76. Judge Vance was appointed by former Governor Don Sundquist in 1997. He was re-elected in 1998, 2006, and 2014.Judge Vance was born in Knoxville, earned his bachelor’s…
November 30, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated a life sentence without the possibility of parole that defendant Kevin Patterson received under Tennessee’s three strikes law for his conviction of attempted second degree murder. The defendant argued the State did not provide him with the required pre-trial…
November 29, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled the state’s theft statute applies to real property. In the case, the defendant challenged whether Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-14-103 encompassed theft of real property, in this case a house. The Supreme Court affirmed the defendant’s convictions of…
November 27, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for two cases on November 30, 2017, in front of hundreds of high school and college students when it brings court to Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, as part of the Court’s SCALES program – Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students…
November 28, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court addressed a certified question from a federal district court on an aircraft maintenance company’s effort to collect its bill for work done on a commercial airplane.AeroCentury Corporation owned a commercial airplane, which it leased to a regional airline, Colgan Air, Inc…
November 22, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court concluded that a father’s notice of appeal, signed by his attorney but not the father personally, satisfies the statutory signature requirement for appeals in parental termination cases. The Court remanded the case to the Court of Appeals for consideration of the…
November 22, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed previous rulings that dismissed a lawsuit contesting the October 1, 2013 Will (“2013 Will”) of Dr. J. Don Brock, a resident of Hamilton County. Dr. Brock died March 10, 2015, leaving a sizeable estate. He is survived by his wife, seven children he and…
November 21, 2017
The Supreme Court of Tennessee clarified the law of self-defense when the person making the claim is engaged in unlawful activity at the time the need for self-defense occurred. This clarification is important because some trial courts have not allowed defendants to assert self-defense when it…
November 21, 2017
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Barry Ross Tidwell of Murfreesboro as Circuit Court Judge in the 16th Judicial District, which includes Rutherford and Cannon counties.Tidwell’s appointment follows the death of Judge M. Keith Siskin in July.Tidwell, 47, has served as Rutherford County…
November 21, 2017
Home inspections are a standard part of the buying process throughout the state, and, in a recent case, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined whether a home inspector’s liability extends to a social guest of the homeowner who was injured when a railing collapsed shortly after purchase.In 2010,…
November 20, 2017
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Angelita Blackshear Dalton of Nashville as Criminal Court Judge for the 20th Judicial District, replacing retiring Judge J. Randall Wyatt.Dalton, 46, has served as Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge for Division III since 2006. In that role…
November 20, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the convictions and sentences of death for Sedrick Clayton for the murders of Arithio, Patricia, and Pashea Fisher and the conviction for attempted murder of A’Reco Fisher in Memphis. During the early morning hours of January 19, 2012, a domestic…
November 17, 2017
In a case closely watched by Tennessee lawyers, the Tennessee Supreme Court has declined to change the law on what evidence can be used to prove medical expenses in cases involving personal injury. The Court held that Tennessee law continues to allow plaintiffs to use full, undiscounted…
November 16, 2017
The 58th Annual Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference was held this fall in Jackson, Tennessee. Judges from across the state gathered together to hear valuable educational sessions such as Criminal Law Updates and Court Room Security. In addition, a judge was recognized with the Judge…
November 14, 2017
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Brooklynn M. Townsend as special judge for the General Sessions Court of Polk County.Townsend’s appointment fills a temporary vacancy due to the disability of Judge Billy D. Baliles.“I appreciate Brooklynn Townsend’s willingness to serve in this…
November 9, 2017
The Tennessee Board of Law Examiners has filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Tennessee to adopt the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which would be a major change in the portability of bar exam results for aspiring Tennessee attorneys. The UBE is a nationwide test that has been adopted by 28…
November 9, 2017
In a case involving questions about jury deliberations that continued into the early morning hours, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined that the defense did not adequately object to the late-night session to appeal and that the issue cannot be reviewed under the plain error doctrine. The Court…