News
April 24, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld the trial court’s award of compensation to a Memphis-area nurse who sustained injuries when she fell at the health-care facility where she was working.In August 2009, Marta Vandall was walking in the hallway at Allenbrooke Nursing & Rehab in Memphis when…
April 19, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction and death sentence of Nickolus L. Johnson for the 2004 murder of Officer Mark Vance of the Bristol Police Department. The Court also affirmed several other lower court rulings regarding the trial.In the unanimous opinion authored by Justice…
April 19, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court today affirmed but modified the drug conviction of a Davidson County defendant after determining that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction for possession with intent to sell cocaine found in the residence of a co-defendant.Bobby…
April 19, 2013
In a unanimous Opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court today ordered a new trial for a Gibson County man after determining that statements he made during a police interrogation should not have been used as evidence at trial because the prosecution failed to prove that the defendant understood and…
April 12, 2013
Justice Sharon Lee met with Governor Bill Haslam and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Col. Leo Thorsness at the State Capitol on April 8, 2013. Thorsness serves on the board of directors of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and Knoxville will be the host city for the 2014 Medal of…
March 28, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld a trial court’s decision that it lacked jurisdiction over a lawsuit filed by the State of Tennessee against an Indonesian cigarette manufacturer to collect payments allegedly owed under the Tennessee Tobacco Manufacturers’ Escrow Fund Act.In 1998, Tennessee…
March 27, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court rejected the claim of the defendant that the district attorney in her trial for the kidnapping and murder of her husband’s ex-wife had improperly used a grand jury proceeding as an investigatory tool for pending indictments.On September 8, 2002,…
March 22, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the conviction of Jereme Dannuel Little on one count of especially aggravated kidnapping, for which he received an 18-year sentence. The Court rejected each of Little’s claims, including his argument that the trial court, which had…
March 22, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed a ruling by the Court of Criminal Appeals, which set aside the conviction of James David Moats for driving under the influence after a police officer discovered him parked in a grocery store parking lot.After observing that the arresting officer admitted…
March 22, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld a trial court’s decision invalidating a will because the will was contrary to a contract between the maker of the will and her deceased husband.Roy Brown, Jr. and Ina Brown were married in the 1980s. Both of them had children from previous marriages. In June…
March 21, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court today decided that a prisoner who missed the filing deadline for a post-conviction relief petition was entitled to have his petition considered because of the deficient conduct of his former lawyer.In 2003, a Shelby County jury convicted Artis Whitehead of various…
March 13, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court today affirmed the Court of Appeals’ determination that a father willfully failed to visit his three children and is subject to termination of his parental rights.The mother and stepfather of the children sought to terminate the father’s parental…
March 8, 2013
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee recently was honored by the University of Tennessee College of Law's Reynolds Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta. The annual Judges Reception was held on February 28, 2013 at the Neyland Stadium skybox in Knoxville.Justice Lee addressed…
February 26, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court has sent a Hamblen County case back to chancery court for a retrial, after ruling that certain evidence regarding a will and a widow’s real estate holding was improperly admitted.A jury verdict invalidated the marriage of Raymond Smallman and Linda Caraway, which…
February 25, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated a jury verdict for compensatory damages against Americare Systems, Inc., the management company of Celebration Way, an assisted living facility in Shelbyville. The Supreme Court remanded the jury verdict for punitive damages to the Court of Appeals for…
February 22, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that when the Tennessee Department of Labor approves a workers’ compensation settlement and accepts the statistical data form submitted along with the settlement, a court may not later find that the statistical data form is incomplete and set aside the…
February 21, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court today sent Brandon Mobley’s post‑conviction case back to the Knox County Criminal Court for further hearings regarding the use of a stun belt during his trial.In 2003, Mr. Mobley shot and killed Joshua Nance and Oshalique Hoffman. He was convicted…
February 21, 2013
In a unanimous Opinion released today, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld a trial court ruling that termination of a mother’s parental rights was not in the best interests of the children.The Bradley County mother and father were divorced in 2002 and entered into a parenting plan for their two…
February 13, 2013
Chief Justice Gary Wade visited with more than 50 of this year's Legislative interns as they discussed the ins and outs of how the Tennessee judicial system works on Friday, February 8.The more than hour-long conversation included a lengthy discussion about oral arguments in a Tennessee Supreme…
February 13, 2013
Tennessee Supreme Court Justices Cornelia A. Clark, Janice M. Holder and Sharon G. Lee visited Sewanee last week to meet with students, faculty and staff and participate in a discussion.The justices met Friday morning with junior and senior female students interested in law and policy. Also on…