State of Tennessee v. Deborah Davis
Following a bench trial, the Defendant, Deborah Davis, was convicted of one count of driving under the influence (DUI), first offense, a Class A misdemeanor. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401. The Defendant was sentenced to eleven months, twenty-nine days with forty-eight hours to be served in confinement and the remainder to be served on unsupervised probation. In this appeal as of right, the Defendant contends (1) that the trial court erred by denying her motion to suppress all evidence gathered by the police pursuant to an accident investigation because such evidence was protected by the accident report privilege of Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-10-114(b); and (2) that the evidence was insufficient to sustain her conviction. Following our review, we conclude that these issues are without merit and affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Hamilton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Audio Visual Artistry v. Stephen Tanzer
This is a breach of contract case. Appellant Homeowner contracted with Appellee for the installation of a “smart home” system. After myriad problems arose, Appellant fired Appellee, who filed the instant lawsuit to collect the unpaid balance for equipment and installation. The trial court determined that the primary purpose of the parties’ agreement was the sale of goods and applied Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The court granted judgment in favor of Appellee, but allowed certain offsets for items rejected by Appellant. Appellant appeals, arguing that the trial court erred in applying the UCC, and in its calculation of damages. Appellant also appeals the trial court’s determination that the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act does not apply. Discerning no error, we affirm. |
Shelby | Court of Appeals | |
Brian Box v. David Gardner
Homeowner and Contractor filed competing suits against one another in the general sessions court. Homeowner was awarded $1,500.00 against Contractor; Contractor’s suit against Homeowner was dismissed. Contractor then appealed to the circuit court. The circuit court dismissed all actions filed by both parties, finding that the construction contracts required arbitration of disputes. Homeowner appeals and we affirm. |
Fayette | Court of Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. David Eugene Breezee
A Benton County Circuit Court Jury convicted the appellant, David Eugene Breezee, of rape of a child, a Class A felony, and incest, a Class C felony. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court merged the incest conviction into the rape of a child conviction and sentenced the appellant to twenty-five years in confinement. The sentence was to be served consecutively to a prior sentence. On appeal, the appellant contends that (1) the evidence is insufficient to support the convictions, (2) the trial court erred by refusing to allow him to question the victim about nude photographs taken of her by a registered sex offender, and (3) the trial court improperly ordered consecutive sentencing. The State argues that the trial court erred by merging the appellant’s convictions. Based upon the record and the parties’ briefs, we conclude that the evidence is sufficient to support the appellant’s convictions, that the trial court did not err by refusing to allow the appellant to question the victim about nude photographs, and that the trial court did not err by ordering consecutive sentencing. However, the trial court erred by merging the appellant’s convictions. Therefore, the appellant’s incest conviction is reinstated, and the case is remanded to the trial court in order for the court to resentence the appellant for both offenses. |
Benton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Carrie Lynn Ronewicz
After a trial by jury, the defendant was convicted of one count of theft of property valued at more than $1,000 but less than $10,000, a Class D felony. She was sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to two years, with credit for time served and the balance to be served on probation as an alternative sentence. The defendant now appeals, claiming that the evidence is insufficient to support her conviction and that the trial court erred by denying her motion to suppress evidence seized by police during a search of her property, both before and after the issuance of a search warrant. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Tipton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Nathaniel Shelbourne
Nathaniel Shelbourne (“the Defendant”) was convicted by a jury of intentional or knowing aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced the Defendant to a term of eight years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served consecutively to his prior sentence. In this appeal as of right, the Defendant claims that (1) the trial court erred in admitting photographs of the victim’s injuries; (2) the trial court erred in refusing to charge the jury on the lesser-included offense of misdemeanor reckless endangerment; (3) the evidence is not sufficient to support his conviction; and (4) his sentence is excessive. After a thorough review of the record and relevant authorities, we have determined that the Defendant is not entitled to relief on any of these issues. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court’s judgment. |
Lake | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Jermaine Burdette
Appellant, Jermaine Burdette, pleaded guilty to three counts of especially aggravated kidnapping and three counts of aggravated robbery. The trial court sentenced him to a total effective sentence of 111 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. Appellant argues that the trial court erred in sentencing him and by failing to merge the counts of especially aggravated kidnapping with aggravated robbery as to each victim. After reviewing the record, the parties’ briefs, and applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Harold Moore
A Shelby County Criminal Court Jury convicted the appellant, Harold Moore, of selling less than .5 grams of cocaine, possessing less than .5 grams of cocaine with intent to sell, and possessing less than .5 grams of cocaine with intent to deliver. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court merged the convictions and sentenced him to five years in confinement. On appeal, the appellant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support the convictions. Based upon the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Nathaniel Shelbourne - Concurring
I concur with the majority opinion except as to the issues of consecutive sentencing and lesser included offenses. |
Lake | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Patricia Ann Gho Massey v. Gregory Joel Casals
Father’s individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) were garnished to satisfy an award of attorney’s fees, and he filed a motion to quash the garnishment, claiming that the accounts were exempt from garnishment under Tennessee law. In a previous appeal, this Court concluded that the IRAs were exempt property, and we reversed the trial court’s order dismissing Father’s motion to quash the garnishment. On remand, the trial court vacated its previous order but again dismissed Father’s motion to quash. We reverse and remand with instructions for the trial court to grant Father’s motion to quash and to dissolve the writ of garnishment. |
Shelby | Court of Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Robert Allen Zaloba
A Williamson County Grand Jury indicted appellant, Robert Allen Zaloba, for eight counts of rape of a child, one count of rape, and one count of aggravated sexual battery. The first five counts of rape of a child (counts 1-5) pertained to one victim, and the remaining three counts of rape of a child, one count of rape, and one count of aggravated sexual battery involved a second victim. The trial court severed counts six through ten for trial. The jury returned verdicts of guilty on all counts, for which the trial court sentenced appellant to serve an effective forty-eight-year sentence. Appellant raises the following issues: (1) whether the trial court properly admitted a reference that appellant had engaged in sexual relations with another individual; (2) whether the trial court properly denied appellant’s request to admit the victim’s prior inconsistent statement as substantive evidence; (3) whether the trial court properly denied appellant’s request for a jury instruction that it could consider the victim’s prior inconsistent statement as substantive evidence; (4) whether the trial court properly instructed the jury that "recklessly" was a proper mens rea for rape of a child; (5) whether the trial court properly instructed the jury by using the disjunctive "or" to connect the requisite mental states; (6) whether the trial court erred in rejecting appellant’s mitigation proof at sentencing; (7) whether the trial court erred in imposing consecutive sentences; (8) whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain appellant’s convictions; and (9) whether the circumstantial nature of the case rendered any errors by the trial court not harmless. Discerning no reversible error in the proceedings, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Williamson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Christopher Brandon Presley
The defendant, Christopher Brandon Presley, appeals the revocation of his probation. In August 2010, the defendant pled guilty to one count of aggravated burglary, a Class C felony, and one count of aggravated assault, a Class C felony. He received an effective ten-year sentence. The trial court suspended the defendant’s sentence and placed him on probation. One year later, a probation violation warrant was issued (and subsequently amended). Following a hearing, the trial court revoked the defendant’s probation and imposed his sentence. On appeal, the defendant claims that the trial court abused its discretion by revoking his probation. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Sumner | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Sue Cross v. R & R Lumber Company, Inc.
A lumber company employee with a history of heart bypass surgery died suddenly at a job site. After learning that the employee’s work activities could have triggered an arrhythmia or myocardial infarction, the widow filed suit for workers’ compensation benefits. The treating cardiologist of the employee concluded that his physical activities on the job contributed to his death, while a cardiologist who examined the medical records disagreed. The trial court awarded benefits, and the employer appealed. Pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 51, the appeal has been referred to a special workers’ compensation appeals panel for a hearing and a report of findings of fact and conclusions of law. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Anderson | Workers Compensation Panel | |
State of Tennessee v. Andrea Nichole Bean
The Defendant, Andrea Nichole Bean, pled guilty to the sale and the delivery of .5 grams or more of cocaine. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court merged the two convictions and imposed a sentence of sixteen years as a Range II, multiple offender to be served in the Department of Correction ("DOC"). In this direct appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying her an alternative sentence. After our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Bedford | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Matthew Jackson v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Matthew Jackson, was convicted of four counts of aggravated robbery pursuant to a plea agreement and was sentenced to an effective ten years of incarceration. The petitioner filed a prior application for the writ of error coram nobis, the denial of which was affirmed on appeal. The petitioner brings this subsequent petition for the writ of error coram nobis, asserting various grounds for relief. The trial court denied the writ, noting that the claim was time-barred and that the petitioner failed to allege facts which would negate the knowing and voluntary nature of his pleas. After a review of the record, we affirm. |
Sumner | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Thomas L. Agnew
The Defendant, Thomas L. Agnew, appeals from his Sullivan County Criminal Court conviction for third offense driving on a revoked or suspended license, a Class A misdemeanor. See T.C.A. § 55-50-504(a)(1), (2) (Supp. 2009) (amended 2010). The Defendant was sentenced to eleven months and twenty-nine days, with six months to be served in jail at 75%. On appeal, he contends that the trial court erred in imposing six months of confinement. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Sullivan | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jackie Caldwell vs. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Jackie Caldwell, appeals the Campbell County Criminal Court’s denial of her petition for post-conviction relief. The petitioner stands convicted of aggravated rape and is serving a twenty-two year sentence in the Department of Correction. On appeal, she raises the issues of ineffective assistance of counsel and an improper sentence. Following review of the record before us, we affirm the denial of relief. |
Campbell | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Ricky Ray Starnes
The appellant, Ricky Ray Starnes, pled guilty to a violation of a habitual traffic offender order, a Class E felony, and a violation of registration, a Class C misdemeanor. The trial court imposed a total effective sentence of two years. On appeal, the appellant challenges the trial court’s denial of community corrections. Upon review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Sullivan | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Rose A. Chapman, et al. v. Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center
Rose A. Chapman and Alfred C. Chapman (“Plaintiffs”) sued Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center (“the Hospital”) regarding a fall Ms. Chapman suffered while a patient at the Hospital. The Trial Court entered judgment upon the jury’s verdict finding and holding that the Hospital was not at fault. Plaintiffs appeal raising one issue regarding whether the Trial Court erred in granting the Hospital’s motion in limine to exclude testimony about an apology and offer to pay bills allegedly made by one of the Hospital’s nurses. We find this issue has been waived, and we affirm. |
Sullivan | Court of Appeals | |
David Ivy v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, David Ivy, appeals from the Shelby County Criminal Court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. A Shelby County jury convicted the Petitioner of premeditated first degree murder and sentenced him to death. The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the Petitioner’s conviction and sentence on direct appeal. See State v. Ivy, 188 S.W.3d 132 (Tenn. 2006). On appeal, the Petitioner asserts that (1) he is actually innocent of the offense; (2) counsel were ineffective in both phases of the trial and on appeal; (3) the State committed prosecutorial misconduct during closing arguments in both phases of the trial; (4) the application of the prior violent felony aggravating circumstance in Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-204(i)(2) was improper; (5) the Capital Defense Team of the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office is “constitutionally ineffective”; and (6) the death penalty is unconstitutional. We affirm the judgment of the trial court denying the Petitioner post-conviction relief. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Danielle Sims
The defendant, Danielle Sims, was convicted of aggravated statutory rape, a Class D felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Class A misdemeanor, and received an effective sentence of three years, with eleven months, twenty-nine days to serve at 75% and the remainder on intensive state probation. On appeal, she argues that the evidence is insufficient to support her rape conviction. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Henderson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Thomas D. Taylor
This case is the consolidation of appeals by the Defendant, Thomas D. Taylor (a/k/a James Ray McClinton), of two cases, a direct appeal and the appeal from a the denial of a petition for a writ of error coram nobis. A Bradley County jury convicted the Defendant of especially aggravated kidnapping, a Class A felony, and aggravated assault, a Class C felony. The trial court imposed a sentence of sixty years, at 100%, for the especially aggravated kidnapping conviction and ten years, at 35%, for the aggravated assault conviction. The trial court ordered these sentences to run consecutively for a total effective sentence of seventy years. In his direct appeal, the Defendant contends the following: (1) for numerous reasons, he was denied his right to the effective assistance of counsel; (2) the trial court erred when it limited cross-examination of the victim; (3) prosecutors engaged in misconduct; and (4) the trial court erred in failing to consider new evidence presented during the motion for new trial. In the appeal from the trial court’s denial of his petition for writ of error coram nobis, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred when it denied his petition because the victim’s medical records contained newly discovered evidence. After consolidating the appeals and thoroughly reviewing the record and applicable authorities, in the Defendant’s direct appeal, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. In the Defendant’s appeal from his petition for a writ of error coram nobis, we affirm the judgment of the coram nobis court. |
Bradley | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Gregory N. Brown
Defendant, Gregory N. Brown, was charged in a two-count indictment with domestic aggravated assault and cruelty to animals. Defendant pled guilty to domestic aggravated assault, a Class C felony, and the cruelty to animals charge was dismissed. Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced Defendant to serve six years as a Range I standard offender in the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC). Defendant appeals his sentence and argues that the trial court erred by imposing the maximum sentence within the applicable range. Following our review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Hamilton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Charmon D. Copeland
The Defendant, Charmon D. Copeland, was convicted by a Davidson County Criminal Court jury of especially aggravated kidnapping, a Class A felony. See T.C.A. § 39-13-305 (2010). He was sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to twenty-five years’ confinement at 100% service as a violent offender. On appeal, the Defendant contends that (1) the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction, (2) the prosecutor engaged in three instances of improper conduct, and (3) the trial court improperly sentenced him. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Saundra Thompson v. Memphis City Schools Board of Education
We granted this appeal to determine whether a tenured teacher’s failure to return from sick leave amounts to a constructive resignation or a forfeiture of tenure. We hold that, although a tenured teacher’s failure to return from sick leave may constitute cause for termination, there is no statute authorizing a board of education to deem it a constructive resignation or a forfeiture of tenure. Accordingly, by dismissing the plaintiff tenured teacher without providing her with written charges or an opportunity for a hearing, the defendant board of education violated her rights under the Tennessee Teacher Tenure Act and her constitutional right to due process of law protected by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Thus, the plaintiff is entitled to reinstatement, back pay consisting of her full salary, compensatory damages for the actual harm she sustained, and attorney’s fees. Accordingly, we reverse in part the judgment of the Court of Appeals, reinstate the judgment of the trial court, and remand to the trial court for proceedings consistent with this decision. |
Shelby | Supreme Court |