Supreme Court of Alabama Decisions 2024

Justia Opinion Summary: A minor, Iyana Crenshaw, was injured while working at Sonic Drive In of Greenville, Inc. Her father, Derrick Crenshaw, filed a negligence lawsuit against Sonic, alleging that the injury was caused by Sonic's negligence.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Joshua Lashawn Booth was convicted in 2018 of three counts of possession of obscene material and sentenced to 15 years in prison. While incarcerated, Booth filed an application for a writ of habeas corpus in the Bibb…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gary Everett Martin obtained a home-equity line of credit (HELOC) from BBVA USA Bancshares, Inc. (BBVA) in May 2008, secured by a mortgage on his residential property. In June 2008, Martin hired Joseph T. Scarborough,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In May 2022, Jerry & John Woods Construction, Inc. ("Woods Construction") entered into a contract with John David Jordan and Carol S. Jordan to construct a house and a metal building. Woods Construction claimed the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Shymikka Griggs filed a data-breach action against NHS Management, LLC, a consulting firm providing management services for nursing homes and physical-rehabilitation facilities. NHS collects sensitive personal and health…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hudgen LeBlanc and Jodi LeBlanc filed a complaint against Residence Doctor Home Inspection, LLC, and its owner-operator, Terry J. Holder, alleging negligence, wantonness, gross negligence, fraudulent/innocent…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, CNU of Alabama, LLC, and Shakeena Cox entered into a loan agreement allowing Cox to take cash advances. Cox took three advances totaling $1,250 but later defaulted. CNU assigned its rights to UHG I LLC, which…

Justia Opinion Summary: John A. Daugherty, an attorney, filed a breach-of-contract claim against his former client, Molly Chew Baker, in the Jefferson Circuit Court. Daugherty and Molly had an agreement where Daugherty would help Molly collect…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, two individuals, Moore and Lloyd, obtained a $185,000 judgment against Mikul and Sanders. They applied for a writ of execution to auction two properties owned by Mikul and Sanders, and they were the highest…

Justia Opinion Summary: Hexagon US Federal, Inc. ("HexFed") leased a portion of a building from Intergraph Unimproved Properties, LLC in 2015. The lease included two bays with different terms and renewal options. In 2016, the lease was amended…

Justia Opinion Summary: Dwight D. Sikes appealed a judgment from the Choctaw Circuit Court, where Michelle M. Kirkland, representing Kenneth McIlwain's estate, had obtained a judgment against him. The case involved land originally owned by…

Justia Opinion Summary: Theresa Johnson, individually and as executor of her deceased husband Nathaniel Johnson's estate, filed a wrongful-death action against Jackson Hospital & Clinic, Inc. Nathaniel, suffering from COVID-19, was admitted to…

Justia Opinion Summary: A wrongful-death medical-malpractice action was initiated by Donna Ratliff, representing the estate of Rhoda Gail McBride, against Dr. Frances Koe and Wills Valley Family Medicine, LLC. McBride had sought treatment for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Tuscaloosa City Council passed an ordinance limiting the maximum occupancy of certain restaurants, affecting a sports bar owned by CMB Holdings Group. The ordinance required establishments with restaurant liquor…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, an automobile collision occurred on November 5, 2018, involving Raymond and Florence Trigger, who were struck by a truck driven by Benjamin C. Deese. Florence died at the scene, and Raymond succumbed to his…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, Universal Development Corporation ("Universal"), Hatti Group RE, LLC ("Hatti Group"), and Harsha Hatti separately appealed judgments entered by the Jefferson Circuit Court in favor of Robbie Dellinger…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a dispute between Corporate Pharmacy Services, Inc. (CPS) and the defendants, Mobile Investments, LLC, and The Broadway Group, LLC (TBG). CPS sought to depose Robert Broadway, the corporate…

Justia Opinion Summary: In February 2019, the Colberts entered into a real-estate sales contract with A & W Contractors, LLC to purchase a remodeled 54-year-old house. A home inspection revealed issues with the plumbing, septic system, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: A Florida resident, Sheri Sawyer, acting as the personal representative of her deceased son Thomas's estate, filed a product-liability lawsuit against Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in the Mobile Circuit Court. The case…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, several homeowners' associations sued Baldwin County Sewer Service, LLC (BCSS), alleging that a rate increase violated a 1991 agreement between a real-estate developer and BCSS. The plaintiffs sought a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lavonne S. Mottern died after receiving a contaminated intravenous injection at Princeton Medical Center, operated by Baptist Health System, Inc. (BHS). Donald J. Mottern, as administrator of Lavonne's estate, filed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Catalina Estillado died from injuries sustained in a workplace accident at ABC Polymer Industries, LLC. Her spouse, Crescencio Pablo, filed a wrongful-death claim against her coworkers, Dean Leader and William Durall,…

Justia Opinion Summary: American Pride Properties, LLC ("APP") filed a lawsuit in the Jefferson Circuit Court against James R. Davis and William M. Pickard, seeking ejectment and damages for the loss of use of real property owned by APP.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Keith Edward Myers posted a negative online review about the legal services provided by Jerry M. Blevins. Blevins, representing himself, sued Myers in the Elmore Circuit Court for defamation per se, invasion of privacy,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Radiance Capital Receivables Twelve, LLC ("Radiance") appealed a judgment from the Henry Circuit Court in favor of Bondy's Ford, Inc. ("Bondy's"). Radiance had garnished the wages of David Sherrill, who worked for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Nicholas Hoffman, a former firefighter for the City of Birmingham, was released from duty in 2022 due to a medical condition. He applied for both extraordinary and ordinary disability benefits from the City of Birmingham…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a dispute over the ownership of real property following the death of Billy Skidmore. Billy died intestate in July 2015, leaving behind two sons, John and Billy Jr. The Marshall Probate Court awarded…

Justia Opinion Summary: The City of Helena appealed a decision by the Shelby Circuit Court that allowed the Pelham Board of Education (PBE) to acquire, develop, and use a piece of real property within Helena's corporate limits for an athletic…

Justia Opinion Summary: This case involves a contractual dispute between Alabama Plating Technology, LLC (APT) and Georgia Plating Technology, LLC (GPT), DVEST, LLC, and Jin Kim. The dispute arose from an asset-purchase agreement for a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a dispute over a property deed. Earnest Coprich and Bessie Elizabeth Jones, who have known each other for about 50 years, disagreed over the terms of a property sale. Coprich claimed that he sold…

Justia Opinion Summary: David McGilvray, a former investigator for the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners (the Medical Board), was terminated for sending a sexually explicit email to his coworkers. Following his termination, the Medical Board…

Justia Opinion Summary: Joe Iskra and Rani Singh, the plaintiffs, entered into a contract to purchase a house from Kenneth Vinoski. Before closing, they hired a home inspection service that discovered a leak in the attic. The plaintiffs…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Stacy G. Coats and Kendall Coats (the plaintiffs) who filed a private right-of-way condemnation case against Sandra F. Ayers, Tommy J. Ayers, and J. Jason Ayers (the defendants). The plaintiffs sought a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Nella Ruth Braswell passed away in 2014, leaving behind an estate valued at over $2,000,000, 6 cats, and 13 dogs. In her will, she provided for the care of her animals until their death, with the remaining funds to be…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, Crystal Kaye Coan purchased a property in Lauderdale County, which was subject to a mortgage. Coan defaulted on the mortgage, leading to a foreclosure by Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC, the mortgage assignee.…

Justia Opinion Summary: A dispute arose between the Alabama-West Florida Conference ("the Conference") of the United Methodist Church, Inc. ("the UMC"), and 44 Methodist churches in the Conference ("the churches"). Amid disagreements within the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves the Mabel Amos Memorial Fund, a charitable trust established to provide financial assistance to beneficiaries seeking higher education. The plaintiffs, Megan Carmack and Leigh Gulley Manning,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a wrongful-death action initiated by Veronica Edwards and Corey D. Hatcher, Sr., following the death of Corey Demills Hatcher, Jr. The deceased died from injuries sustained when his vehicle collided…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves National Trust Insurance Company ("National Trust") and Whaley Construction Company, Inc. ("Whaley"). Whaley was a general contractor on a project at a Lockheed Martin facility. Smith's Inc. of Dothan…

Justia Opinion Summary: Harold Wallace, a tenant of the Housing Authority of the City of Talladega, fell while descending the back-porch stairs of his apartment due to missing handrails. Wallace sued the Housing Authority for negligence and…

Justia Opinion Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, John Svensen wrote a check to Jeff Hester's company, Ginesis, for several thousand bottles of hand sanitizer. The check bounced, leading Ginesis to sue Svensen and his company, Marketpointe,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of Alabama reviewed a case involving a dispute over an undeveloped island ("the island") located within a canal system on Ono Island, a residential subdivision. The island was created during the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In October 2020, Larry Knight's residence was damaged by Hurricane Zeta. He filed an insurance claim with Foremost Insurance Company, which was denied. Knight then sued Foremost, claiming that the company had insured his…

Justia Opinion Summary: In November 2015, Raymond Shane Greene was convicted of rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse of a child under 12 years of age. The trial court sentenced Greene to life imprisonment for the rape conviction, 99 years'…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Carl Michael Seibert who appealed a summary judgment by the Madison Circuit Court in favor of Lorri Stricklen and Zoe Aldige. Seibert had filed claims of malicious prosecution and abuse of process…

Justia Opinion Summary: The State of Alabama initiated 14 separate actions against various businesses, nonprofit organizations, property owners, and municipalities, alleging that they were responsible for the operation of illegal gambling…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves siblings Kim J. Washington and Katrina J. Williams who filed a lawsuit against their brother Elrick Earl Johnson seeking to partition a jointly owned real property. The property in question is "heirs…

Justia Opinion Summary: This case involves a dispute over church property between Harvest Church-Dothan ("Harvest") and the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc. ("the AWFC") and the General Council on Finance and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a dispute between the City of Gulf Shores and Coyote Beach Sports, LLC. The city passed a municipal ordinance regulating the motor-scooter-rental business, which required renters to possess a…

Justia Opinion Summary: This case involves a dispute among Players Recreation Group, LLC, an Alabama limited-liability company, three of its members, Jason L. McCarty, Felix McCarty, and Doyle Sadler, and S&M Associates, Inc., a company owned…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Alabama Relocation Services, Inc. ("ARS") and Patricia Buchannan, who filed a complaint against COWS USA, LLC ("COWS"), Trailpods Acceptance Corporation ("Trailpods"), Michael Frank, Ana Frank, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a car accident that occurred on February 6, 2016, involving Melissa A. Keller and her daughter, Caroline Keller, who were insured by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. The Kellers…

Justia Opinion Summary: This case involves a property dispute between two neighboring condominium associations, Phoenix East Association, Inc. ("Phoenix East") and Perdido Dunes Tower Condominium Association, Inc., a Master Association…

Justia Opinion Summary: In November 2020, Nicholas Douglas was elected to the office of constable of Sumter County. In February 2021, Gregory S. Griggers, the district attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit, filed a petition for the writ of quo…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, an automobile repair technician, Donijah Virgo, was injured when his stalled vehicle was hit by a car driven by Heather Michelle Roberts while he was attempting to push it across a road. Virgo sued Roberts…

Justia Opinion Summary: The dispute involves a disagreement between two brothers, Brian and William "Bill" Bento, over the distribution of the assets and liabilities of their joint business, Bento Construction, LLC, following its dissolution.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, Charles Crowder bought a property owned by Delores Blevins at a tax sale. After the purchase, Crowder took possession of the property and made improvements. Subsequently, Blevins sought to redeem the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of Alabama ruled in a case concerning a dispute over the amount of ad valorem taxes owed by Indorama Ventures Xylenes & PTA, LLC for the personal property at a petrochemical plant that it owns in Morgan…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of Alabama has reversed a lower court's decision in a case involving claims of defamation, invasion of privacy, and violation of the Alabama Right of Publicity Act. The lawsuit was filed by Jennifer…

Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a dispute regarding the office of constable for the District 59 election precinct in Jefferson County, Alabama. Frederick Burkes, Sr. won the 2020 Democratic party primary for the office and was…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, Fred Zackery sought access to confidential settlement agreements between the Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Gadsden ("the Board") and various carpet and chemical manufacturers. Zackery requested…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the Supreme Court of Alabama ruled that under Alabama's Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, the definition of a "child" includes those who are unborn, regardless of their location (either inside or outside a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case from the Supreme Court of Alabama, the court held that the Majestic Mississippi, LLC ("Majestic") and Linda Parks did not owe any duty of care to the passengers on a charter bus that crashed en route to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the case before the Supreme Court of Alabama, David and Anna Roberson appealed from an order by the Jefferson Circuit Court that dismissed their indemnification claim against Drummond Company, Inc. ("Drummond").…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of Alabama granted a writ of mandamus to Triad of Alabama, LLC, doing business as Flowers Hospital, in a personal-injury lawsuit filed by Voncille and Don Askew. The Askews sued Triad after Voncille…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the case before the Supreme Court of Alabama, Emma Louie, Garry Rice, and Toice Goodson, employees of the Greene County Board of Education, sought a writ of mandamus directing the Greene Circuit Court to enter a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In November 2015, Joseph H. Reeves contracted with Wilson Floor & Wallcovering, Inc. ("Wilson Floor") and its owner, Tom Wilson, to replace the wood flooring in his home. After the work was completed, Reeves found the…

Justia Opinion Summary: This case involved an appeal by John William Riley against a judgment by the Autauga Circuit Court, Alabama. The judgment declared that Kenneth R. Boles had an easement by prescription across a road on Riley's property.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, Richard Mullen and Cheryl Mullen petitioned the Supreme Court of Alabama for a writ of mandamus to direct the Jefferson Circuit Court to transfer their case to the Walker Circuit Court. The case at hand…

Justia Opinion Summary: In Alabama, RAM-Robertsdale Subdivision Partners, LLC contracted Construction Services LLC, d/b/a MCA Construction, Inc. ("MCA") to build infrastructure for a proposed housing subdivision. The relationship between the…