King vs. Jowers
W1999-00984-SC-S10-CV

Supreme Court

State vs. Dennis Bondon
W1999-01686-CCA-R3-CD
Trial Court Judge: Chris B. Craft

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

W1998-00455-CCA-MR3-CD
W1998-00455-CCA-MR3-CD
Trial Court Judge: James C. Beasley, Jr.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

03C01-9810-CR-00376
03C01-9810-CR-00376
Trial Court Judge: D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.

Blount Court of Criminal Appeals

Continental Land Co. vs. Investment Properties Co.
M1998-00431-COA-R3-CV

Marion Court of Appeals

Slate vs. State
M1998-00434-COA-R3-CV

Court of Appeals

Davis vs. Dept. of Employment Security
M1996-00021-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Robert S. Brandt

Davidson Court of Appeals

White (Deerman) vs. White
M1999-00005-COA-R3-CV
Trial Court Judge: Allen W. Wallace

Cheatham Court of Appeals

Moore vs. Moore
M1999-01680-COA-R3-CV
Trial Court Judge: Muriel Robinson

Davidson Court of Appeals

15th Jud. Dist. Unified Bar Assoc. vs. Glasgow
M1996-00020-COA-R3-CV
Trial Court Judge: C. K. Smith

Wilson Court of Appeals

Davis vs. Dept. of Employment Security
M1996-00021-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Robert S. Brandt

Davidson Court of Appeals

Kim Nuchols (Walker) vs. Benny Nuchols
03A01-9901-GS-00007

Court of Appeals

03A01-9902-CH-00045
03A01-9902-CH-00045

Anderson Court of Appeals

X2010-0000-XX-X00-XX
X2010-0000-XX-X00-XX
Trial Court Judge: Seth W. Norman

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

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

Marshall Court of Criminal Appeals

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

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

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

Sumner Court of Criminal Appeals

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

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

Westside Health and Raquet Club, Inc., v. Jefferson Financial Services, Inc.
E1998-00412-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Judge Charles D. Susano, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Thomas R. Frierson

Westside Health & Racquet Club, Inc. (“Westside”) filed this action against Jefferson Financial Services, Inc. (“ Jefferson”). Westside’s theory of its claim -- which theory was adopted by the trial court -- is that Westside’s transfer to Jefferson, over time, of some 495 installment sales
contracts was, in each case, part and parcel of a usurious loan made by Jefferson to Westside, rather than a sale of the contract. The trial court awarded Westside damages of $68,519.71 for usurious interest, which was enhanced by a further award of pre-judgment interest pursuant to T.C.A. § 47-14-123 (1995)1. Jefferson appeals, raising several issues. The issue that we will focus on can be stated thusly: Does the Retail Installment Sales Act, T.C.A. § 47-11-101, et seq., (“ the Act”) operate to exempt the dealings between these parties from Tennessee’s usury statutes?

Hamblen Court of Appeals

Victor James Cazes v. State of Tennessee
W1998-00386-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Trial Court Judge: Judge Chris Craft

The petitioner, Victor James Cazes, appeals as of right from the order of the Shelby County Criminal Court denying him post-conviction relief from his 1990 convictions for felony murder,  aggravated rape and first degree burglary. The petitioner was sentenced to death for the murder conviction and received twenty-five-year and six-year sentences, respectively, for the aggravated rape and burglary convictions. The judgments of conviction were affirmed on direct appeal. State v. Cazes, 875 S.W.2d 253 (Tenn. 1994). In this post-conviction appeal, the petitioner raises the  following issues:

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee, et al., Coretta Scott King, v. Lloyd Jowers
W1999-00984-COA-R10-CV
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge W. Frank Crawford
Trial Court Judge: Judge James F. Swearengen

On December 1, 1999, the State of Tennessee on behalf of the appellants Judge James Beasley, Judge Robert T. Dwyer and Mark Glankler, filed a Rule 10 T.R.A.P. application for Page 1 extraordinary appeal. Specifically, the State sought to set aside the trial court’s order denying the State’s motion to quash the subpoenas served on the aforementioned appellants.

Court of Appeals

State of Tennessee vs. Ronald Wayne Smith
M1999 01439 CCA R3 CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Trial Court Judge: Judge Allen Wallace

The Defendant, Ronald W ayne Smith, pleaded guilty in the C ircuit Court of Dickson County to possession of cocaine for resale and possession of marijuana for resale, reserving a certified question of law pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 37(b)(2)(i). The certified question of law is whether there were sufficient spec ific and articu lable facts to justify the stop of the Defendant’s vehicle and/or whether the duration of the stop excessive. We find that there were not sufficient specific and articulabe facts to justify the stop of the Defendant’s vehicle. Because we conclude that the stop was illegal, we reverse the order of the trial judge overruling the motion to suppress.

Dickson Court of Criminal Appeals

Kenneth Jones v. Itt Hartford Ins. Co., et al.
W1998-00357-WC-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: L. Terry Lafferty, Senior Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. D. J. Alissandratos,

Wayne Workers Compensation Panel

Lila Roberson v. The Insurance Co. of Pennsylvania
W1998-00374-WC-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: F. Lloyd Tatum, Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. Joe C. Morris
This workers' compensation appeal was referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. This case arose out of an automobile accident on February 1, 1996, in which the plaintiff, Lila Roberson, suffered fractures to her lower right leg and injured her face. The trial court found that the plaintiff suffered these injuries during the course and scope of her employment with the defendant's insured, the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB). The court awarded the plaintiff a 4 percent permanent partial disability to the right leg and a 15 percent disability to the body as a whole for the injuries to her jaw. The defendant appeals this decision and raises the following issues: (1) whether the trial court erred in finding that the plaintiff carried her burden of proof to show by expert medical testimony that her jaw injury was compensable; and (2) whether the trial court erred in the amount of vocational disability benefits awarded the plaintiff for her foot injury. Our standard of review on appeal in workers' compensation cases is de novo on the record with a presumption of correctness of the trial court's findings, unless the evidence presented preponderates otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-225(e)(2); Henson v. City of Lawrenceburg, 851 S.W.2d 89, 812 (Tenn. 1993). Under this standard of review, we are required to conduct an in-depth examination of the trial court's findings of fact and conclusions of law to determine where the preponderance of the evidence lies.

Madison Workers Compensation Panel

State of Tennessee vs. Ronald Reece Cross
E1998-00364-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry L. Smith
Trial Court Judge: Judge R. Jerry Beck

On July 21, 1998, Ronald Reece Cross (the “defendant”) pled gu ilty to the following charges arising out of a single incident: violating an habitual traffic offender order, evading arrest, driving under the influence of alcohol (eighth offense), running a stop sign, reckless driving, and violation of registration. Following a sentencing hearing on the above charges, the trial court denied alternative sentencing for the defendant, and instead ordered the defendant to serve an effective ten (10) year, eleven (11) month, and twenty-nine (29) day sentence. The issues on appeal are: (1) whether the trial court erred in denying alternative sentencing to the defendant, and (2) whether the trial court erred in ordering the defendant to serve consecutive sentences. Because we find that the trial court sentenced the defendant appropriately, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Sullivan Court of Criminal Appeals