Tennessee Supreme Court Decisions 2014

Justia Opinion Summary: Three patients, who were injured in unrelated motor vehicle accidents, were all treated at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis (Hospital). In each case, either the patient’s insurance company or TennCare paid the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed a health care liability action against Defendant, who performed laser surgery on Plaintiff’s eye. Before trial, Defendant filed a motion seeking a waiver of Tenn. Code Ann. 29-26-115(b)’s contiguous state…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Plaintiff was discharged from his position of Chief of Police for the City of Red Bank, he filed suit in the Chancery Court against the City, alleging statutory retaliatory discharge in violation of the Tennessee…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was indicted for seven counts of rape of a child victim. Two weeks before trial, the State sought to offer as evidence a video recording of a statement made by the victim to a forensic interviewer pursuant to…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree premeditated murder and sentenced to death. Defendant’s conviction and sentence were affirmed on appeal. Defendant subsequently filed a motion for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of seven counts of rape of a child and two counts of aggravated sexual battery arising from the sexual abuse of his children. The court of criminal appeals affirmed the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was indicted on six counts of aggravated sexual battery and four counts of rape of a child for sexually abusing his stepdaughter. Defendant moved to suppress a surreptitiously-recorded conversation with the…

Justia Opinion Summary: A jury awarded $3 million in compensatory damages to Plaintiff after finding that Defendant, Plaintiff's employer, retaliated against Plaintiff in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Tennessee…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of aggravated burglary and employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial court (1) erred by denying his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of multiple counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, criminal exposure of another to HIV, and aggravated statutory rape. The trial judge sentenced Defendant to an effective…

Justia Opinion Summary: A Shelby County grand jury indicted Defendant for two counts of first degree premeditated murder and two counts of first degree murder for the murders of Lillian and Clarence James. During trial, the court admitted…

Justia Opinion Summary: Sandy Womack was convicted and sentenced to a term of confinement with the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC). While Womack was housed at the Whiteville Correctional Facility in Hardman County, which was owned and…

Justia Opinion Summary: A man and a woman entered into a contract with a surrogate and her husband that provided for the surrogate to be artificially inseminated by the sperm of the intended father. After giving birth, the surrogate was meant…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of first degree premeditated murder, first degree felony murder, and related offenses. The trial court imposed a sentence of death based on three aggravating circumstances. The court of criminal…

Justia Opinion Summary: Greg Parker was injured when the shower bench in a hotel where he and his wife were staying collapsed while he was seated on it. The Parkers filed a personal injury suit against Defendant, the owner and operator of the…

Justia Opinion Summary: When Mother filed for divorce from Father, the parties’ daughter was living with Mother, and the parties’ son was living with Father. Both parties sought custody of their son. During trial, Mother’s witness was her son’s…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, an employee of Norfolk Southern Railway Company (the Railroad), was injured while pulling a switch while at work. Plaintiff sued the Railroad under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), alleging that…

Justia Opinion Summary: While on duty, Dennis Harris, a patrolman with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, was struck by a pickup truck driven by Mickey Haynes. Harris received workers’ compensation benefits for his injuries. Harris and…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of second degree murder. The court of criminal appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court vacated Defendant’s conviction and sentence, holding (1) the lead prosecutor violated…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner entered best interest guilty pleas to attempted first degree murder, second degree murder, and especially aggravated robbery. Petitioner later filed a petition for post-conviction relief, claiming ineffective…

Justia Opinion Summary: Property Owners filed an action against Montgomery County, asserting a claim of regulatory taking under Tenn. Const. art. I, 21, for which they sought compensation pursuant to the inverse condemnation statute. The County…

Justia Opinion Summary: Employee suffered bilateral shoulder injuries and underwent separate surgeries on each shoulder. Employee later agreed to a voluntary buyout of his employment. Employee subsequently filed two separate suits for workers’…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed a civil action in the general sessions court against Defendant, alleging that Defendant provided substandard medical treatment to her. Following a bench trial, the general sessions court entered judgment…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed suit against three health care providers. The trial court granted motions for summary judgment dismissing all the claims against one of the providers. The trial court did not explain the grounds for its…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of fabricating evidence and six counts of making a false report. Defendant filed a motion for a new trial. After a hearing, the trial court affirmed Defendant’s…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pled guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and was sentenced to twenty-four years' imprisonment. Defendant twice appealed his sentence. On both appeals the court of criminal appeals remanded the case for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed a health care liability action against Defendant-health care providers. Six days before filing his complaint, Defendant sent a pre-suit notice of his potential claim to each Defendant by certified mail,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Employee worked for Employer from 1977 through the date of the trial of this matter. Employee began having problems with his arms and hands in 2005. In 2009, Employee had carpal tunnel release surgery performed on his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner, a Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty to patronizing prostitution and was granted judicial diversion. Petitioner successfully completed his diversion, and his criminal record was subsequently expunged.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff initiated this lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the “Tennessee Plan,” which governs the way in which judges of the Tennessee appellate courts are initially selected and thereafter stand for…

Justia Opinion Summary: On July 28, 2012, Michael Becker was injured when a Ford truck driven by his son, Phillip Becker, struck a light pole. Michael and his wife filed suit against Ford Motor Company. On August 26, 2013, Ford filed an answer…

Justia Opinion Summary: After being arrested and while in custody, Defendant admitted his involvement in Maurice Taylor’s killing. After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of attempted aggravated robbery and first-degree felony murder. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Plaintiff was stopped for a moving violation, a law enforcement officer administered several field sobriety tests. The officer arrested Plaintiff for DUI because he had been driving in the wrong direction on a…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Plaintiff filed a health care liability action against Defendant, the General Assembly enacted Tenn. Code Ann. 29-26-121 and -122, which implemented pre-suit notice and certificate of good faith requirements.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2000, Defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted rape. In 2010, the Supreme Court filed its opinion in Ward v. State, in which the Court held that trial courts, before accepting a guilty plea to a crime…