A trial court’s ruling for plaintiff was overturned where plaintiff stepped off a curb between parked cars, not in a crosswalk, and was hit by a truck while attempting to cross the road. In Easley v. City of Memphis, No. W2023-00437-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. May 1, 2024), plaintiff attempted to…
Articles Posted in Comparative Fault
Trial court’s fault allocation in motor vehicle accident case affirmed.
Where the trial court found in a bench trial that plaintiff was 20% at fault for a motor vehicle accident and the bus driver was 80% at fault, that ruling was affirmed based on the testimony of the witnesses and findings of fact of the trial judge. In Cook v.…
Summary judgment overturned where minor was killed while drinking and driving.
Where plaintiff created issues of genuine material fact regarding the potential liability of various defendants in the death of his minor son, who was killed while drinking and driving, summary judgment for most defendants was reversed. Further, the Court of Appeals found that the question of whether the decedent was…
Tennessee Supreme Court Agrees to Review Comparative Fault Issue in Negligent Misrepresentation Case
The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to accept review of a comparative fault issue concerning the tort of negligent misrepresentation. The issue: Whether the affirmative defense of comparative fault is applicable to a negligent misrepresentation cause of action in which the conduct of the plaintiff constituting the basis for that…
Summary judgment for HCLA defendants affirmed based on statute of limitations and lack of duty.
Where one defendant in an HCLA case was not the owner or operator of the facility at which plaintiff alleged he received negligent medical treatment, and that defendant did not employee, train or control the employees who allegedly provided negligent care, summary judgment for that defendant was affirmed. Further, where…
Jury finding that plaintiff was 60% at fault for car accident affirmed.
Where plaintiff and defendant gave differing versions of a car accident, the photographs of the vehicles could be interpreted to support defendant’s version of events, and the jury appeared to credit defendant by finding plaintiff 60% at fault, the Court of Appeals affirmed the jury’s verdict and the trial…
New trial affirmed where defendant shifted blame after failing to plead comparative fault.
Where the defendant in an HCLA case did not plead comparative fault, but during his testimony at trial stated that the reason he failed to take certain actions was because the nurses never notified him of the patient’s chest pain, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ruling…
Noneconomic damages cap should be applied to each plaintiff separately in personal injury cases.
When an HCLA plaintiff was awarded a verdict for her health care liability claims and her husband was awarded damages for loss of consortium, the trial court correctly considered the plaintiffs separately for the purpose of applying the statutory cap on noneconomic damages. FIRST PUBLISHED IN JUNE 2020. SEE UPDATE…
Summary Judgment and Rule 56.03 Statements
Where plaintiff presented a statement of undisputed material facts that called into question the check cashing policies of defendant, but that statement of facts was ignored by the trial court in granting summary judgment for defendant, summary judgment was reversed. In Great American Insurance Company v. Pilot Travel Centers, LLC,…
Runner Hit By Car Found 80% At Fault
Where a plaintiff was running in the dark with no wearable light and was hit by a car while crossing the road, the Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict finding plaintiff 80% at fault. In Golden v. Powers, No. E2019-00712-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Feb. 12, 2020), plaintiff and her…