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Day on Torts

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Conversion claim was time-barred due to plaintiffs’ constructive notice of claim.

Where plaintiffs could have discovered in October 2009 that funds had been transferred out of an account payable to them upon decedent’s death and into an account payable to defendant, the conversion claim filed in 2019 was time-barred. In Kidd v. Lewis, No. E2021-01156-COA-R3-CV, 2022 WL 2866006 (Tenn. Ct. App.…

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Premises liability summary judgment affirmed where divot complained of was a minor aberration.

Where a premises liability plaintiff tripped when her shoe heel went into a small divot in an outdoor stairway that was “mere centimeters thick,” summary judgment for defendant was affirmed on the basis that the divot “amounted to a minor aberration and…the defendants did not owe her a duty of…

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No civil liability for sharing truthful information about matter of public concern.

Where defendant shared truthful information that was a matter of public record “concerning a matter of public significance,” summary judgment on plaintiffs’ claims for intentional and/or negligent infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy was affirmed. In Adreacchio v. Hamilton, No. M2021-01021-COA-R3-CV, 2022 WL 2718659 (Tenn. Ct. App. July…

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Res judicata dismissal of tort claims reversed.

Where plaintiffs filed tort claims related to a car accident, and those tort claims were not compulsory counterclaims in a previous action filed by defendant against plaintiffs based on the same accident, the ruling that plaintiffs’ claims were barred by the doctrine of res judicata was reversed. In Albers v.…

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Legal malpractice claim fails without expert support.

Where defendant attorneys filed an affidavit stating that they had complied with the applicable standard of care, and plaintiff failed to respond with any expert evidence contradicting this affidavit in support of his legal malpractice claim, summary judgment was affirmed. In Grose v. Kustoff, No. W2021-00427-COA-R3-CV, 2022 WL 2347798 (Tenn.…

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Lawyer Sanctioned for Misconduct During Deposition

A lawyer who surreptitiously helped his client during a remote deposition was sanctioned by the court.  The lawyer was disqualified from the case and the plaintiff will be permitted to the right to play and highlight to the jury the recorded exchanges of [lawyer’s] witness-leading comments . . . .” …

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Seminar For Newer Lawyers Interesting in Learning About the Art of Trial Lawyering

The Law Offices of John Day, P.C. is pleased to announce that we’re back with our Fundamentals of Civil Litigation in Tennessee seminar!  This is a two-day program designed to help new lawyers grasp practical matters of civil litigation.  In addition to hearing lectures on many substantive and procedural aspects…

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Tennessee Supreme Court Releases Opinion on Attorney Fee Awards After Motion to Dismiss

Yesterday the Tennessee Supreme Court remanded a Davidson County Chancery Court case to the trial court to determine the amount of fees that should be awarded after a successful motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.   The statute at issue is Tenn.…

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Lease interest was not sufficient to establish ownership rights for conversion claim.

Where plaintiff’s complaint asserting a claim for conversion alleged that she was the lessee of a vehicle, she failed to “establish the required element that [defendant’s] retaking of the automobile was in ‘defiance of the true owner’s rights to the chattel,’” and dismissal was affirmed. (internal citation omitted). In Meade…

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