News
April 29, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. – Today the Tennessee Supreme Court held that a trial court could order a man who voluntarily dismissed his own lawsuit to pay his ex-wife’s ’s attorney fees associated with that lawsuit The couple involved in this case, Middle Tennessee attorney John Colley and Vanessa…
April 25, 2025
The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that the state’s collateral estoppel doctrine prevents a plaintiff from relitigating the issue of class certification in a refiled case. Collateral estoppel, sometimes referred to as issue preclusion, is a legal doctrine which bars the same parties from…
April 25, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. –The Tennessee Supreme Court held today that a lawsuit against a nursing home facility may continue, even though the plaintiff in the case, resident Annie Jones, had died. Ms. Jones was an elderly resident of Life Care Center, a nursing home in Tullahoma, Tennessee. In 2019,…
April 17, 2025
Nashville, Tenn - The Tennessee Supreme Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) appreciate the Tennessee General Assembly’s approval of the amended budget yesterday, which includes $13 million in recurring funding and $4 million in non-recurring startup funds for the AOC’s…
April 3, 2025
Tennessee State Trooper Tara Lee joined the Capitol Protection Unit in 2016, working various posts to learn the functions and requirements of each one. One of those posts was at the Tennessee Supreme Court, and it wasn’t long before court staff realized she was someone special.“I was told by my…
April 1, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. - The Tennessee Supreme Court has two cases set for its April 9, 2025, docket in Jackson, Tennessee. The two cases are related actions involving similar legal issues. The cases will be heard at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Jackson, beginning at 9:00 a.m. CST…
March 26, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. – In a case filed in Hamilton County, the Tennessee Supreme Court today held that Tennessee law does not prohibit a private employer from firing an employee for exercising the right to petition the government granted under the Tennessee Constitution.The case began in 2021, during…
March 10, 2025
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld the suspension of a Shelby County attorney’s law license for violating the ethics rules for lawyers. The lawyer, Daryl A. Gray, was the subject of two complaints to the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, which enforces the ethics rules for…
March 7, 2025
The Tennessee Supreme Court held today in Robin M. McNabb v. Gregory H. Harrison, that Tennessee’s Constitution requires municipal judges to reside in the city where they will be assigned. Here, the candidate elected as Lenoir City Municipal Judge did not satisfy the constitutional residency…
March 6, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. – Today, the Tennessee Supreme Court issued an opinion in State v. William Rimmel III affirming Rimmel’s conviction for attempted aggravated assault but reversing his conviction for reckless endangerment with a handgun.Rimmel’s convictions arose from a 2018 road-rage incident on I-…
February 26, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. - Today, the Tennessee Supreme Court issued an opinion in Leah Gilliam v. David Gerregano, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Revenue et al., rejecting a First Amendment challenge to Tennessee’s personalized license plate program. Ordinarily, Tennessee license plates…
February 14, 2025
The Tennessee Supreme Court heard held court proceedings inside the Old Supreme Court Chamber at the Tennessee State Capitol for the first time in more than ten years February 12, 2025.“This is an historic occasion, a homecoming of sorts for our court,” said Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice…
February 4, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. - The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments at two locations in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 12, 2025. In the morning, beginning at 10:30 a.m. CST, the Court will hear one case at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Nashville. A second case will be…
Tennessee Supreme Court Clarifies Interplay Between Health Care Liability Act and the Saving Statute
January 22, 2025
Nashville, Tenn.- Today the Tennessee Supreme Court held that a plaintiff, who did not refile a negligence lawsuit against Vanderbilt University Medical Center within the required one-year time frame, could not assert an extension based on the Health Care Liability Act.The case began when Plaintiff…
January 22, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. – In an opinion released today, the Tennessee Supreme Court clarified that holding shareholders responsible for the actions of a corporation, known legally as “piercing the corporate veil,” requires three separate elements: control, wrongdoing, and causation. The Court also…
January 16, 2025
Nashville, Tenn- Today the Tennessee Supreme Court addressed public findings from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) claiming that the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners (TBLE) and the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), which operate under the authority of the Tennessee Supreme…
TN Supreme Court Clarifies When Jury Must Determine Whether a Prior Offense is a "Crime of Violence"
January 8, 2025
Nashville, Tenn. – In an opinion released today, the Tennessee Supreme Court held that a prior conviction for robbery can increase the penalty for a criminal defendant’s conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm, but only if a jury finds that the prior robbery was committed with the use of…
January 8, 2025
Nashville, TN- In an opinion released today, the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed a damages award to a man who sustained serious injuries after falling on a pedestrian bridge at his apartment complex. The Court held that the owner and operator of the apartment complex, Mid-America Apartments, LP (“…
December 20, 2024
Nashville, Tenn- The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an opinion in Pharma Conference Education, Inc. v. State, rejecting the argument of the State of Tennessee that its contract with Pharma Conference Education, Inc. was not enforceable because Pharma’s promise to perform was illusory. …
December 20, 2024
Nashville- Today the Tennessee Supreme Court ordered an increase of $100 in the annual registration fee paid by attorneys to the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) and adjustment to the allocation of those funds. The order amends Supreme Court Rules 9 and 33 and will be effective March 1,…