Opinions

Susan Kay Pilger Riggs, v. James Landry Riggs
01A01-9601-CV-00007
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Henry F. Todd
Trial Court Judge: Judge Muriel Robinson

The plaintiff/wife has appealed from the judgment of the Trial Court declaring the parties divorced pursuant to T.C.A. § 36-4-129, placing child custody in the wife and awarding child support. The issues on appeal relate only to support.

Richard P. Rienholtz, v. Christine Bradley, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Correction
01A01-9512-CH-00570
Authoring Judge: Judge Ben H. Cantrell
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle

Richard P. Rienholtz, an inmate in the Tennessee prison system petitioned the Chancery Court of Davidson County for a declaratory judgment arguing that the Department of Correction’s decision to extend his parole eligibility date for escape was illegal. The chancellor dismissed the petition and we affirm.

Mary Alice Bolton Prince, v. St. Thomas Hospital, et al.
01A01-9604-CV-00184
Authoring Judge: Judge Samuel L. Lewis
Trial Court Judge: Judge Hamilton V. Gayden, Jr.

This is an appeal by plaintiff/appellant, Mary Alice Bolton Prince, from the decision of the trial court granting the motions for summary judgment of defendants/appellees. The trial court based its decision on its finding that Mrs. Prince was fiftypercent or more at fault. The facts out of which this controversy arose are as follows.

Kevin Ryan Mosley v. Tennessee Board of Paroles, et al.
01A01-9604-CH-00162
Authoring Judge: Judge Ben H. Cantrell
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Irvin H. Kilcrease, Jr.

Kevin Mosley, a prisoner in the custody of the Department of Correction, was twice considered for parole. On each occasion the Parole Board declined to release him, citing as its reason the seriousness of his offense. Mr. Mosley filed a Petition for Certiorari with the Chancery Court of Davidson County, contending that he was entitled to a more definite statement of the Parole Board’s reasons. The prisoner also argued that the Board erred in failing to consider the results of a psychological study it had ordered. The Chancery Court dismissed the petition. We affirm the trial court.

Mario Harris v. State
M2004-01782-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Trial Court Judge: Seth W. Norman
The Defendant, Mario Harris, appeals from the order of the trial court dismissing his petition for post-conviction relief as time-barred. The State has filed a motion requesting that this Court affirm the judgment of the trial court pursuant to Rule 20 of the Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. We grant the State's motion and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

State of Tennessee v. Charles Thompson And Verico
W1998-00351-CCA-R10-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry Smith
Trial Court Judge: Chris B. Craft

02C01-9512-CC-00381
02C01-9512-CC-00381

Part Upon State v. Roger Dale Hill, No. 01C01-9508-Cc-00267 (Tenn. Crim. App. June
02C01-9610-CC-00340

02C01-9503-CC-0095
02C01-9503-CC-0095

02C01-9503-CC-00095
02C01-9503-CC-00095

Trial Court Judge: John Franklin Murchison

02C01-9601-CC-00030
02C01-9601-CC-00030

01A01-9606-CH-00259
01A01-9606-CH-00259

Charles Leroy Stafford v. Mid-America Corporation and Larry Brinton, Jr.
03S01-9512-CH-00132
Authoring Judge: Joe C. Loser, Jr., Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. Frederick D.
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The issue presented by this appeal involves the extent of the claimant's permanent disability. The panel concludes thejudgment should be modified as provided below. The employee or claimant, Stafford, is forty-eight with a ninth grade education. On December 23, 1993, he suffered a compensable injury to his neck and arm, for which he received medical treatment and lost time from work. The treating physician assigned a permanent impairment rating of 3% to the whole body and released him to return to work in August of 1994 with no restrictions. From a previous injury, the claimant had received an award based on ninety-five percent to the body as a whole. The chancellor awarded permanent partial disability benefits on the basis of five percent to the body as a whole, reasoning that the claimant had not yet become rehabilitated from his previous injury. Appellate review is de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of the correctness of the findings of the trial court, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(2). Conclusions of law are subject to de novo review without any presumption of correctness. Presley v. Bennett, 86 S.W.2d 857 (Tenn. 1993). This tribunal is required to conduct an independent examination of the record to determine where the preponderance of the evidence lies.

Harley R. Rucker v. Rockwood Electric Utilities
03S01-9511-CH-00127
Authoring Judge: Senior Judge John K. Byers
Trial Court Judge: Hon. Frank V. Williams,
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. Plaintiff was injured when he fell and hit his arm on a buzz saw while cutting trees along utility lines as an employee of Woodland Tree Service, which had a contract to cut the trees for Rockwood Electric Utilities. The trial judge dismissed plaintiff's complaint, finding that Rockwood Electric Utilities was not plaintiff's statutory employer under TENN. CODE ANN. _ 5-6- 113. However, he found plaintiff to have sustained a 45% permanent partial disability to his right hand. We reverse the judgment and remand the case to the trial court. Plaintiff was hired by Woodland Tree Service to help fulfill Woodland's contract with Rockwood Electric Utilities. The agreement between Woodland Tree Service and Rockwood Electric Utilities was in the form of a written contract which was introduced at trial. Plaintiff reported every morning to Rockwood Electric Utilities where he met with Don White, a supervisor at Rockwood, to learn whether he should continue working on the present job or if he needed to work on some emergency project. He would also pick up a "bucket truck" owned by Rockwood to be used in cutting trees. Woodland provided all of the other equipment used by its employees. Occasionally, Rockwood supervisors would come to the site where Woodland employees were working to check on the progress of the work, occasionally telling the employees to hurry up or moving them elsewhere to a "hot spot." Woodland had absolute authority to hire and fire its own employees. Under the contract between the parties, Rockwood reserved the right to provide equipment and materials at a lower cost if those provided by Woodland were too high. Woodland paid its employees directly but according to a schedule of wages set by Rockwood. Woodland was required to notify Rockwood of changes in wage rates. Under their contract, Rockwood reserved the right to inspect Woodland's work and audit its books. The contract also provided that Woodland employees could not enter the area where power lines were located unless 2

Brian Matthew Woosley v. Townsend Electric Company
02S01-9505-CH-00040
Authoring Judge: Janice M. Holder, Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. Joe C. Mo Rris
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting of findings of fact and conclusions of law. Our scope of review of findings of fact by the trial court is de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of correctness, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-22 5(e)(2). The sole question raised on appeal is whether the evidence preponderates against the chancellor's holding that the employee's injury arose out of the course and scope of his employment. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the trial court. The plaintiff, Brian M. Woosley ("Woosley"), was employed as an electrician's he lper for To wnsend Electric. Du ring the sev eral month s of his employment with Townsend, he worked at a series of job sites. The method by which he would arrive at the site varied. For two of the jobs, he met the foreman at the Townsend "shop"on the first day of the job; thereafter he drove his own vehicle to the job site. At a third job location, he met the foreman at the Townsend shop and rode with him to the job site. While at the shop, he sometimes loaded material for use on the job. At a fourth site, the foreman drove to Woos ley's home an d transporte d him to the job. Woo sley was nev er paid until he arrived at the job site and he was never reimbursed for transportation expenses when he drove his own vehicle. On July 13, 1992, Woosley was working at a fifth job in Brownsville when he was injured en route to the job site. For the two weeks prior to his injury, he met Harold Matlock ("Matlock"), the job foreman, at the shop each day and the two went to the Brownsville job together. While working in Brownsville, Woosley was not required to pick up or load materials; he received no instructions 2

Barbara Wallace v. Cadillac Curtain Company
02S01-9510-CH-00099
Authoring Judge: Cornelia A. Clark, Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. John Hill Chisholm
This worker's compensationappeal has been referred to the special worker's compensation appeals panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. _5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. Trial in this matter was conducted February 9, 1995. On May 22, 1995, the Chancellor entered a final judgment denying compensation to plaintiff and dismissing her lawsuit.

Adrian White v. State of Tennessee
W2002-02755-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge J. Curwood Witt, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Bernie Weinman

03C01-9510-CC-00320
03C01-9510-CC-00320

Trial Court Judge: D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.

Present Appeal, The Petitioner, Relying In Part Upon State v. Roger Dale Hill, No. 01C01-
02C01-9610-CC-00344

02A01-9508-CV-00168
02A01-9508-CV-00168

03C01-9510-CC-00325
03C01-9510-CC-00325

Trial Court Judge: D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.

03C01-9509-CR-00291
03C01-9509-CR-00291

Trial Court Judge: Ray L. Jenkins

03A01-9603-CV-00096
03A01-9603-CV-00096

03A01-9605-CV-00170
03A01-9605-CV-00170

X2010-0000-XX-X00-XX
X2010-0000-XX-X00-XX