Day on Torts
Information is now available on the number of tort trials and jury verdicts in Washington County, Tennessee (county seat: Jonesborough) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.
There were 162 personal injury or wrongful death cases closed in Washington County (not including health care liability act cases) and only 1 trial in those cases. Here is how that compares with prior years:
Over the years, about 2% of the personal injury and wrongful death cases closed in Washington County went to trial. When your client asks you “what are the odds my Washington County case will go to trial” you can say that, on average 98% of filed cases are resolved (through voluntary dismissal, dismissal on motion, or settlement) before a jury verdict or judgment is announced.
The sole trial was a jury trial, one of seven jury trials in personal injury and wrongful death cases in the county in the last six years. There were 11 nonjury trials. Of the eighteen trials, the plaintiff made a financial recovery in 2 of those cases. In other words, we can say that the defendants received a defense judgment in about 89% of the cases that were tried. Here is the data in a graph:
What monies were recovered by the plaintiff in the 2 cases where a recovery occurred? One award was $75,000 and the other was $6,976.
You can find information about trials and verdicts in tort cases for every county in Tennessee by visiting the Free Resources at www.birddoglaw.com. Click on this link to find a list of every county in the state, click on the relevant county, and go to “Case Statistics.” (Note: we are still inputting the 2021-22 data so some counties will have data only through June 30, 2021. All information will be complete before May 1.