Colorado’s highest court has ruled that in cases involving an unemancipated minor child, either the child or the child’s parents may recover the child’s pre-majority medical expenses Double recovery is not permitted. The case is Rudnicki v. Bianco. The Tennessee will be holding oral argument soon on a related issue…
Day on Torts
New Resource Center for Tennessee Lawyers
I am pleased to announce the launch of BirdDog Law, a massive online resource center for Tennessee lawyers, particularly those who do trial work. The website includes free access to the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, and the Tennessee Rules of Evidence, as well…
No liability for State when fire causing damage was started by lightning.
Where plaintiff’s property was destroyed by a fire caused by a lightning strike, emergency responders could not cross a bridge to access the property and extinguish the fire due to flooding, and plaintiff had recently asked the State to modify the bridge due to concerns about flooding, dismissal of this…
New Website for Tennessee Lawyers
I am pleased to announce, after over a year of work, that I have completed the creation of a new website for Tennessee lawyers. The website is called BirdDog Law. The website is designed to help Tennessee lawyers better serve their clients while saving themselves time and money. A major…
Operations on the Wrong Body Part – from The Washington Post.
This is an article David L. Perlow, a board certified urologist practicing in the Atlanta area since 1983. The article appeared in the November 27, 2021 edition of The Washington Post. The full text of the article appears below. In 2012, Paul Kibbett checked into a California hospital to have…
Justice Programs 2021 Seminar
Penny White, Joe Riley and I will be hosting our annual three-city, 15-hour seminar program again the Fall. The program will be held in-person in Knoxville (Dec. 2-3), Nashville (Dec. 9-10), and Memphis (Dec. 16-17. We will also be offering the same 15 hours of CLE via video. Those interested…
Summary Judgment Based on Tennessee Recreational Use Statute Affirmed.
Where a minor child was injured while playing on a playground at a state park, and after the incident a park ranger admitted that the mulch under the playground was not thick enough but no prior notice of the mulch condition had been shown, plaintiff had not proven gross negligence…
Interesting Article on How Radiologists Can Avoid Medical Malpractice Claims
Dr. Benjamin Strong, Chief Medical Officer at vRad, has written an article on health care liability claims against radiologists. Dr. Strong “analyzed all 220 claims made against vRad radiologists between June 2017 and October 2020—applying a detailed classification taxonomy including the alleged type of miss, study type, if the standard…
No nuisance or trespass when neighbor did not increase surface water flow onto plaintiff’s property.
Where there was material evidence in the record to support the jury’s finding that plaintiff’s neighbor had not diverted water onto plaintiff’s property, the verdict for defendant on claims of nuisance and trespass was affirmed. In Whitford v. Village Groomer & Animal Inn, Inc., No. M2020-00946-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept.…
Claim regarding retirement benefit calculation was not a tort claim.
Although plaintiff labeled his complaint as a tort claim, the gravamen of the complaint was a dispute over “the amount, time and manner of payment of plaintiff’s pension plan benefits.” Plaintiff was therefore required to first present his claims to the pension board pursuant to the City’s Code of Ordinance,…