In Cleveland Custom Stone v. Acuity Mutual Insurance Company, No. E2013-02132-COA-R3-CV (June 10, 2014), the Tennessee Court of Appeals considered a myriad of issues in a case concerning an insurance company’s failure to pay insurance proceeds to the Plaintiffs for a building destroyed by fire. The business that owned the…
Day on Torts
Fraudulent Concealment Exception to Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations and Statute of Repose in Tennessee
In Robinson v. Baptist Memorial Hospital, No. W2013-01198-COA-R3-CV (July 11, 2014), the court addressed the fraudulent concealment exception to the statute of limitations and statute of repose for medical negligence actions in Tennessee. In this case, the defendant doctor erased the initial version of his consult note and changed his…
Train Wreck. Divorce Trial. But I Repeat Myself
This is a decision about a divorce trial but we are reviewing it on Day on Torts because we always write about cases involving train wrecks. Seriously, we will cover this case because it contains some useful reminders about (1) a party’s obligation when briefing issues on appeal; (2) the appropriateness of…
Defendant’s Lie Under Oath May Be A Sin, But It Is Not Admissible in MVA Trial
This appeal arises from a December 24, 2010 motor vehicle accident involving a vehicle driven by Johnny Miller and another vehicle driven by Mr. Moretz. The cause of the accident was hotly contested with both parties claiming the other to be at fault. As for damages, Mr. Miller and his wife, who…
Health Care Liability Expert Need Not Know Community Statistics from Date of Alleged Injury to Testify in Tennessee Medical Malpractice Case
As far as I can remember, Evans v. Williams, No. W2013-02051-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. June 30, 2014),is the first and only case dealing with whether a health care liability expert must be familiar with demographic information about the defendant’s community from the time the alleged malpractice occurred. To be sure, the…
Tennessee Law of Civil Trial Book
Tennessee Law of Civil Trial has been printed and is now available for purchase. The 500+ page book is largely a discussion of the law of trying civil cases in Tennessee – the law of scheduling orders, pretrial conferences, jury selection, opening statement and closing arguments, use of depositions…
Case Dismissed Because Plaintiff Sent Notice by FedEx Instead of U.S. Postal Service
In Arden v. Kozawa, M.D, No. E2013-01598-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. June 18, 2014), Plaintiff in a health care liability action appealed after his lawsuit brought on behalf of his deceased wife was dismissed at trial for failing to strictly comply with Tennessee’s pre-suit notice requirements. Plaintiff’s wife was allegedly negligently…
Just Give Him the Dang Forms!
Mr. Fleming needed medical forms completed for his workers’ compensation case. He submitted the forms to the defendants but after “20 or more days” he had still not received the completed forms and his phone calls were not being returned. Consequently, a frustrated Mr. Fleming filed a civil warrant in Shelby…
John Day’s New Book – Tennessee Law of Civil Trial
My newest book, Tennessee Law of Civil Trial, will be released on July 1, 2014 and may be ordered now for July 1 delivery. The book consists of 500+ pages of the law of civil trial in Tennessee, covering the law of scheduling orders to the law of motions for…
Memphis Premises Liability Case Fails
In the recent premises liability opinion of Wolfe v. Felts, Jr. No. W2013-01995-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. May 29, 2014), the court of appeals affirmed a trial court’s decision to grant directed verdict in favor of defendants in a case where plaintiff fell on ice that had formed in front of…