Statements made in a meeting between defendant hospital and decedent’s family were not privileged and did not fall under the QIC statute. In Castillo v. Rex, No. E2022-00322-COA-R9-CV (Tenn. Ct App. Oct. 4, 2023), plaintiff filed an HCLA suit after the death of her husband. Her husband died shortly after…
Day on Torts
Recent Cases on Damages for Frivolous Appeal
My other blog, Practical Procedure and Evidence, has an updated post discussing the law of damages for frivolous appeal. The post includes citations to cases where damages for frivolous appeal appeal have been granted and denied in the last four months. Writing a brief on appeal? Save yourself at least…
Defendant only required to produce surveillance videos he intended to use for impeachment at trial.
Where surveillance videos of plaintiff were obtained in preparation for litigation and were thus work product, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision to require defendant to only produce those surveillance videos he intended to use at trial for impeachment purposes. In Locke v. Aston, No. M2022-01820-COA-R9-CV (Tenn.…
Law Firm Fights Over the Meaning of “Double-Spaced” in Local Rules
Check out Practical Procedure and Evidence for a post about a fight over the meaning of “double spacing” in the local rules for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
Are You Using BirdDog Law?
BirdDog Law is my creation to help Tennessee lawyers help their clients. The site is full of free resources. For example, use these links to access the following: Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure Adapted for use in the Tennessee Claims Commission Tennessee Rules of Evidence…
Statute Extending Statute of Limitations Does Not Extend Time for Service of Process
Where a car accident plaintiff filed suit, had service issued but not served, and then failed to have new process issued within one year from the issuance of the first service, the plaintiff could not rely on the fact that defendant received a traffic citation in the accident to extend…
Are You Reading Practical Procedure and Evidence?
About eight months ago I started another blog, Practical Procedure and Evidence. I blog about issues relating to civil and appellate procedure and evidence that impact civil trial lawyers in Tennessee. Here are some recent posts: When is a Mistrial Appropriate? Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction. Court…
Summary judgment for car accident defendant reversed.
Where a car accident plaintiff responded to a motion for summary judgment by relying on his own deposition testimony and defendant’s interrogatory responses, the Court found that he had created a genuine issue of material fact. In Arnold v. Malchow, No. M2022-00907-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 9, 2023), a pro…
Summary judgment overturned in car accident case.
Where there were questions of fact regarding how much mud was on a road and whether defendants were the cause of the mud, the Court of Appeal reversed summary judgment for defendant trucking company in a car accident negligence case. In Sullivan v. Carden, No. E2022-01234-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept.…
Summary judgment affirmed in Tennesssee informed consent case.
Where plaintiff signed an informed consent document and failed to present any expert testimony regarding the sufficiency or circumstances of the document, summary judgment for defendant on plaintiff’s informed consent HCLA claim was affirmed. In Jarnagin v. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, No. M2022-01012-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 31, 2023), plaintiff…