News
August 30, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated a Shelby County jury’s verdict awarding damages for the injuries a six-year-old boy sustained in a car wreck.In January of 2002, Billy Meals was riding with his father and grandfather in his grandfather’s car. Billy was in the backseat restrained with a…
August 29, 2013
Tennessee held its first ever Veterans Treatment Court graduations this week, as eight people completed the innovative program designed to help veterans and active service members.The graduations took place in the Clarksville courtroom of Judge Kenneth Goble, Jr. and in Memphis in Judge Bill…
August 28, 2013
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Chancellor Arnold B. Goldin to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Western Section. Goldin will replace Judge Alan E. Highers, who will retire at the conclusion of his current term.“I am deeply honored by the governor’s confidence in me,” Goldin said. “I look…
August 27, 2013
Criminal Court Judge Robert H. Montgomery, Jr. has been appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Section, by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.“I am honored and humbled by the trust that the governor has placed in me,” Montgomery told the governor’s office. “I look forward to serving the…
August 26, 2013
After seven years leading the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts and 27 years in state government, Elizabeth (Libby) Sykes has announced she will retire by the end of the year.“Libby Sykes has enjoyed a remarkable career in her service to the State of Tennessee, especially during her…
August 26, 2013
Attorney W. Neal McBrayer, of Brentwood, has been appointed to fill the vacancy in the Tennessee Court of Appeals Middle Section created by the retirement of Presiding Judge Patricia J. Cottrell, who revealed earlier this year she will not seek re-election in 2014.Gov. Bill Haslam announced his…
August 20, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of a workers’ compensation law that gives priority to the opinion of an independent medical examiner for the purpose of determining the disability rating from a work-related injury.
In 2008, William Mansell injured…
August 19, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court held that the Right to Farm Act does not bar a homeowner’s nuisance lawsuit against a farm that hosted amplified music concerts.Velda Shore retired to a subdivision in rural Blount County in 2003. The subdivision was adjacent to Maple Lane Farms,…
August 16, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion, today upheld a trial court’s dismissal of DUI and other charges against a McMinnville woman because a video recording of the woman’s stop and arrest was lost.In November 2010, a McMinnville police officer pulled over Angela M. Merriman because…
August 16, 2013
In February 2013, the Supreme Court launched an extensive recognition program to honor all attorneys volunteering at least 50 hours of pro bono service annually. Attorneys meeting the Court’s minimum goal of 50 pro bono hours annually will be named “Attorneys for Justice” by the Supreme Court.A key…
August 13, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department Civil Service Board exceeded its statutory authority in ordering Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond to equalize the pay of sergeants in the department.Six sergeants with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s…
August 13, 2013
The Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (TCJFCJ) has named Judge Nolan R. Goolsby of Putnam County as recipient of the 2013 McCain-Abernathy Memorial Award. This is the highest distinction conferred by the TCJFCJ. Judge Goolsby was nominated by his colleagues in recognition of…
August 12, 2013
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will visit Hawkins County this week to perform the formal investiture ceremony for Circuit Court Judge Mike Faulk and Chancellor Douglas T. Jenkins.The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, August 14 at Church Hill Middle School, 211 Oak St., Church Hill.Both…
August 12, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court refused to apply an antiquated rule classifying minor victims of sex offenses as accomplices in the crime and eliminated the requirement that testimony of the victim be corroborated by other independent evidence. The ruling upholds the aggravated…
August 12, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has granted a new trial for Terrance Antonio Cecil on a charge of false imprisonment, holding that the trial court did not provide appropriate instruction to the jury as required by the Court’s recent ruling in State v. White. The Court upheld…
August 9, 2013
The Administrative Office of the Courts has approximately $200,000 in grant funding available for the development or continuation of initiatives that will aid self-represented litigants in accessing the Tennessee court system regarding child support issues.This funding is made possible through the…
August 9, 2013
In a unanimous Opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the nine-month suspension of a Chattanooga attorney’s law license for violation of the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct in his representation of two clients.H. Owen Maddux, a solo practitioner, represented a Hamilton County…
August 8, 2013
Judge Camille R. McMullen made history in 2008 when she became the first African-American woman to serve at the appellate court level in Tennessee. This week, she made history again as the first African-American woman ever to preside over a panel of an appellate court proceeding in the state.On…
August 7, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam has announced the appointment of John C. Rambo as chancellor in the First Judicial District in east Tennessee.Rambo, 43, has served as Washington County attorney since 1999 and as municipal judge in Jonesborough since 2003. He worked as a solo practitioner from 2008-2012, after…
August 6, 2013
The Tennessee Appellate Court Clerk’s Office will complete installation later this month of a new digital tracking system for the appellate courts, allowing for greater access to information for lawyers, litigants and the general public.The new case management system, known as C-Track, will provide…