Where plaintiff’s Tennessee GTLA claims all related to the allegation that airport officers used excessive force when interacting with and eventually detaining him, defendant airport authority “retained immunity under the civil rights exception in [Tenn. Code Ann.] § 29-20-205(2).” In Nichols v. Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, No. M2020-00593-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct.…
Articles Posted in Claims Against Local Governments
Plaintiff’s judgment for student hit by shot put thrown by coach affirmed.
Where a minor student was accidentally hit in the head by a shot put thrown by his track and field coach, immunity for the school was removed under the GTLA and a judgment for plaintiff was affirmed. In Spearman v. Shelby County Board of Education, No. W2019-02050-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App.…
Public Duty Doctrine did not apply in dangerous sidewalk case.
Where plaintiff filed a GTLA suit based on the city school system’s failure to remedy a dangerous condition on a sidewalk at its high school, the public duty doctrine did not apply and immunity was removed under the GTLA. In Lawson v. Maryville City Schools, No. E2019-02194-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App.…
Public Duty Doctrine Applied To Eliminate Claim
Where a sheriff’s deputy owed a duty to the public at large, but not to plaintiff specifically, to protect cars from running into a downed tree on a state highway, the Public Duty Doctrine barred plaintiff’s GTLA suit and dismissal of plaintiff’s case was affirmed. In Kimble v. Dyer County…
Appeal Fails Without Transcript or Statement of Evidence
Where plaintiff failed to file a transcript or a Rule 24 statement of the evidence with the appellate court, the “facts found by the trial court [were] conclusive on appeal” and the ruling for defendant school system was affirming in this GTLA case. In Johnson v. Millington Municipal Schools, No.…
Chairs stacked on top of table not a dangerous condition
Where a middle school student was injured when he tripped on his backpack strap, beginning a chain of events that knocked down a chair that was stacked on top of a table and injured his hand, summary judgment was affirmed based the lack of a dangerous condition and the injury…
Immunity For Government Employ Denied
Where a trial court did not explain the legal basis for its ruling that a deputy sheriff was immune from a defamation suit under the GTLA, the Court of Appeals vacated the judgment. In Taylor v. Harsh, No. M2019-01129-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Feb. 21, 2020), plaintiff filed suit against defendant,…
Water authority liable for fall where it had notice that meter box was damaged
Where plaintiff was injured when he was standing on the water meter box in his yard and the concrete cover unexpectedly moved, and the governmental water authority had noted that the box needed to be replaced four months before the incident, the Court of Appeals affirmed a finding that the…
Police Shooting Victim Loses Case
Where a man being arrested was shot and killed after he went out of his home and raised a gun towards a police officer, the Court of Appeals affirmed dismissal of a GTLA tort suit, finding that the police department was immune from suit and that the suit was barred…
City’s Duty to Protect Against Dangerous Dog Fell Under Public Duty Doctrine
A plaintiff’s claim that the city had a duty to protect her against a dog owned by another citizen fell under the public duty doctrine, and summary judgment for defendant city was thus affirmed. In Fleming v. City of Memphis, No. W2018-00984-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Mar. 5, 2019), plaintiff filed…