COURT OF APPEALS OPINIONS

Kathy L. Moyers, v. Roald A. Moyers
01A01-9612-CV-00556
Authoring Judge: Judge Ben H. Cantrell
Trial Court Judge: Judge Muriel Robinson

This appeal followed a long course of post-divorce litigation that prevented the parties from enjoying the peace that should have come from the dissolution of their unhappy marriage. The trial court found the husband guilty of five counts of criminal contempt for failing to comply with the court’s orders regarding division of marital property and payment of alimony in solido, and ordered him to serve ten days in jail for each count. On appeal we reverse the trial court as to four of the five counts.

Paul J. Myer and Carole A. Myer v. Mark Whitacre, Ginger Whitacre and Fran Haworth, individually and D/B/A Century 21 Haworth Homes
01A01-9701-CH-00014
Authoring Judge: Judge Ben H. Cantrell
Trial Court Judge: Judge Henry Denmark Bell

In this case involving a breach of a real estate contract, the appellant asserts that the evidence preponderates against the amount of damages found and the award of prejudgment interest. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Joe E. Armstrong v. Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs, Commissioner Fred Tucker and Tennessee Civil Service Commission and Eleanor E. Yoakum
01A01-9610-CH-00476
Authoring Judge: Judge Ben H. Cantrell
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Robert S. Brandt

The question in this case is whether a state employee protected by civil service has a right to be heard before being reclassified to the unprotected executive service. The Chancery Court of Davidson County held that the employee had a right to grieve the reclassification. We affirm.

Helen S. Rogers vs. Tom E. Watts, Jr. - Concurring
01-A-01-9611-CV-00500
Authoring Judge: Judge Samuel L. Lewis
Trial Court Judge: Judge Thomas W. Brothers

This is an appeal by defendant/appellant, Thomas E. Watts, Jr., from the decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Davidson County finding Mr. Watts liable for malicious prosecution and awarding plaintiff/appellee, Helen S. Rogers, $18,000.00 in damages. The facts out of which this matter arose are as follows.

Helen S. Rogers v. Tom E. Watts, Jr. - Dissenting
01-A-01-9611-CV-00500
Authoring Judge: Judge Ben H Cantrell

I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion on two grounds: (1) probable cause and (2) damages -- neither of which is presented with  much clarity in the briefs. But the issues are of such importance to the practice of law in this state that I feel they should be addressed.

Mary S. Fendley v. Mart G. Fendley
01A01-9509-CH-00418
Authoring Judge: Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Thomas E. Gray

This appeal involves the classification of property in a divorce case. The wife filed for divorce in the Chancery Court for Montgomery County after seventeen years of marriage. Following a bench trial, the trial court declared the parties divorced and awarded the wife custody of the four minor children. In its division of the parties’ property, the trial court classified the parties’ home as marital property and awarded it to the wife but classified the household furniture, funds inherited by the wife, and a limited partnership interest in an athletic club as the wife’s separate property. The husband takes issue on this appeal with the allocation of the responsibility for the debt on the home, the classification of separate property, and the overall distribution of the marital estate. We have determined that the trial court should have allocated the debt secured by the home to the wife and that the trial court correctly classified the disputed assets and equitably distributed the marital estate.

William Jones v. Jeff Reynolds, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Correction - Concurring
01A01-9510-CH-00484
Authoring Judge: Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor C. Allen High

This is the second appeal concerning a dispute between a prisoner and the Department of Correction over the calculation of the prisoner’s sentence reduction credits. After the Department summarily denied his second request for recalculation of his sentence credits, the prisoner filed a petition for declaratory judgment in the Chancery Court for Davidson County asserting that the Department had miscalculated his sentence credits. The trial court granted the Department’s motion for summary judgment, and the prisoner again appealed to this court. We have determined that the summary judgment dismissing the prisoner’s ex post facto claims should be affirmed but that the summary judgment dismissing the remaining claims must again be vacated.

Reba V. Davis and Tyler Wayne Davis, by next friend, Reba V. Davis, v. Harriman City Hospital, the City of Harriman, et al.
03A01-9701-CV-00016
Authoring Judge: Judge Don T. McMurray
Trial Court Judge: Judge Russell E. Simmons, Jr.

This is a medical malpractice case. Plaintiff, Reba V. Davis brought suit, individually and on behalf of her infant son, Tyler, against Dr. Elbert Cunningham, Harriman City Hospital and the City of Harriman, for injuries sustained by Tyler shortly after his birth. After reaching a settlement with Dr. Cunningham, the physician who delivered Tyler, Ms. Davis amended her complaint to include allegations of negligence against the attendant Harriman City Hospital nurses.

Samuel R. Adams, et al., v. Margaret C. Culpepper, et al. - Concurring
03A01-9701-CH-00017
Authoring Judge: Judge Don T. McMurray
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Sharon Bell

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Chancery Court of Knox County, affirming the decision of The Department of Employment Security Board of Review in denying all the appellants unemployment compensation benefits.  We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Sandra J. Scott, v. Dr. Gerald B. Calia
03A01-9608-CV-00270
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Houston M. Goddard
Trial Court Judge: Judge James B. Scott, Jr.

This medical malpractice suit arises out of surgery performed on Sandry Scott's freet by Dr. Gerald Calia on May 17, 1989. Ms. Scott contends that Dr. Calia was negligent in his medical care of her. She insists on appeal that the Trial Court was in error in directing a verdict against her at the close of her proof.

Delisa Ribbins Leak and Mareshi A. Leak, B/N/F Delisa Ribbins Leak, v. Laurie Goodwill and AT&T Service, Inc.
03A01-9611-CV-00359
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Houston M. Goddard
Trial Court Judge: Judge Samuel H. Payne

Delisa Ribbins Leak and Meshi Leak, by next friend, Delisa Ribbins Leak, appeal an order of the Circuit Court dismissing their case against Laurie Goodwill. The case had purportedly been appealed from the General Sessions Court pursuant to an order of two Judges of that Court granting a writ of certiorari. The appeal on related to one Defendant, Laurie Goodwill, and not the other Defendant, AT&T Service, Inc. Upon motion of Ms. Goodwill, the Circuit Judge dismissed the case against her, apparently on the grounds raised in the motion, that their appeal was not timely, and thereupon remanded the case to the General Sessions Court for "further hearing as to AT&T Service, Inc."

Price and Price Mechanical, Inc., v. Jame Edward Hale and Hale Construction Company, Inc., - Concurring
03A01-9612-CH-00402
Authoring Judge: Judge Don T. McMurray
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Ben K. Wexler

This case is before the court on an extra ordinary appeal pursuant to Rule 10, Tennessee Rules of  Appellate Procedure.  The sole issue which we are called upon to decide is whether Tennessee recognizes the tort of  "intentional interference with prospective economic advantage" (The tort ). The trial court dismissed the plaintiff's claim on the premise that Tennessee does not recognize the tort, citing Kultura, Inc., v. Southern Leasing, 923 S. W. 2d 536, (Tenn. 1996), quoting from Quality Auto Parts v. Bluff City Buick, 876 S. W. 2d 818, 823 (Tenn. 1994).

Anthony P. Guiliano v. Cleo Inc. - Concurring
02A01-9608-CV-00201
Authoring Judge: Judge W. Frank Crawford
Trial Court Judge: Judge James E. Swearengen

This is a breach of an employment contract case. Defendant, Cleo, Inc. (Cleo), appeals the order of the trial court granting summary judgment in favor of plaintiff, Anthony P. Guiliano (Guiliano).

Lorraine Burton Spears Marcus vs. Trent Wright Marcus - Concurring
02A01-9611-CH-00278
Authoring Judge: Judge William H. Inman
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Floyd Peete

This case is a procedural quagmire. The dispositive issue on appeal, though not of the merits, of the case, is whether the Chancellor was correct in declining to assume jurisdiction of it.

Flanagan vs. Flanagan
03A01-9612-GS-00404

Wilson vs. Wilson
03A01-9610-CH-00322

Robert & Frances Pilgrim vs. Edward Frazier
02A01-9611-CV-00294
Trial Court Judge: Joe G. Riley. Jr.

Emma Crowe vs. James Craig, et al
02A01-9612-CV-00297
Trial Court Judge: Whit A. Lafon

Jere Rogers, et ux vs. Mark Davis, et al
02A01-9610-CH-00258
Trial Court Judge: Homer W. Bradberry

Cannon vs. Cannon
03A01-9702-CV-00059

Cinda Kay Cantrell vs. James Clarence Cantrell & Marie Loya
01A01-9603-CV-00091
Trial Court Judge: Marietta M. Shipley

James Thigpen vs. First City Bank
01A01-9603-CV-00095
Trial Court Judge: Don R. Ash

X2010-0000-XX-X00-XX
X2010-0000-XX-X00-XX

Shava Lynn Kendrick vs. Larry Bert Kendrick
M2004-00540-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Leonard W. Martin
This case involves a father's efforts to protect his children from their mother's sexually abusive relatives. When the mother filed for divorce in the Chancery Court for Houston County, she also filed a notice of intent to relocate with the children to the State of New York to be closer to her family, including a stepfather who had sexually abused and raped her when she was a child. Following a bench trial, the trial court declared the parties divorced, designated the mother as the primary residential parent, and permitted the mother to move to the State of New York with the parties' children. The father has appealed, arguing first that the trial court's custody and relocation decisions have exposed the children to an unreasonable risk of sexual abuse and second, that the trial court erred by refusing to designate which of the parties should be permitted to claim the children as tax exemptions. We have determined that the trial court erred by allowing the mother and the children to move to the State of New York without sufficient proof regarding their safety. We have also concluded that the court erred by refusing to address the parties' tax exemption issues.

Diane Watters vs. William Watters & General Mills
02A01-9511-CH-00254
Trial Court Judge: Floyd Peete, Jr.