A finding of trespass requires a court to award nominal damages under Tennessee law. In Dorer v. Hennessee, No. M2023-00729-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Apr. 12, 2024) (memorandum opinion), the Court of Appeals overturned a trial court’s refusal to award damages after a trespass finding. While the Court deemed most of…
Articles Posted in Miscellaneous
No causation or improper motive in tortious interference case
Where plaintiffs asserting a tortious interference with a business relationship claim could not show that the defendants intended to cause a breach or termination of the relationship, which had already been breached before defendants’ involvement, or that defendants acted with an improper motive, summary judgment for defendants was affirmed. In…
Summary judgment based on release of “all persons… from any claim” reversed.
Where plaintiff was the passenger in a car accident that occurred when the vehicle she was riding in crashed into fencing and construction equipment owned by defendant construction company that was located in the right lane of a street, and plaintiff had settled with and executed a release of the…
No joint and several liability? No credit for other tortfeasor’s payments
Where a trial court’s judgment did not include a finding of joint-and-several liability, a defendant against whom a judgment was entered could not be credited with payments made by another defendant or by a non-party. In Gerrish & McCreary, P.C. v. Lane, No. W2022-01441-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Dec. 5, 2023),…
Tort Cases Pending Before the Tennessee Supreme Court (01-16-2024)
There are seven tort cases pending before the Tennessee Supreme Court. Here is a list of the cases and the summary of the holding of the Tennessee Court of Appeals (if applicable) in each case: Style: Williams v. Smyrna Residential, LLC et al. TSC Docket Number: M2021-00927-SC-R11-CV Court of Appeals Opinion:…
Conservator had authority to release HCLA claims against doctor.
A disabled person’s conservator had the authority to enter into a consent agreement releasing the person’s HCLA claims against a doctor without approval from the probate court. In Hamilton v. Methodist Healthcare Memphis Hospitals, No. W2022-00054-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 16, 2023), plaintiff filed an HCLA suit as conservator on…
Actual damages not required for intrusion upon seclusion claim.
A Tennessee plaintiff asserting a claim for invasion of privacy based on intrusion upon seclusion was not required to show actual damages, as actual damages are not an essential element of an intrusion upon seclusion claim. In Jones v. Life Care Centers of America d/b/a Life Care Center of Tullahoma,…
Gender-Affirming Care Creates Tort Liability
My newest article, “Gender-Affirming Care Creates Tort Liability,” as published in the Tennessee Bar Journal.
ACTL Podcast
One thing you can do to become a great trial lawyer is to listen to great trial lawyers speak about the profession. The American College of Trial Lawyers has a podcast that does just that. The podcast will be starting its sixth season this summer, but there are over 20…
Funeral home had no duty to supervise burial of body.
Where plaintiff alleged that her son’s body was buried in the wrong place within a cemetery and brought several claims, including negligent mishandling of a dead human body, against defendant funeral home, summary judgment for the funeral home was affirmed based on the finding that the funeral home “had no…