APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

The plaintiff, a resident of Hawaii, contracted to buy D & K  Auto Salvage from the defendants in August 1994, for $450, 000.00.  He employed Tom Gargone to manage the business.

Plaintiff Jerry Nelms, as next of kin and executor of the estate of his deceased wife,
Inez Nelms, appeals the trial court’s judgment awarding him the sum of $25,000 in compensatory damages but denying his request for punitive damages. We affirm the trial court’s judgment based upon our conclusion that the court properly directed a verdict in favor of Defendant/Appellee Walgreen Company on the Plaintiff’s claim for punitive damages.

This is a breach of contract case. The plaintiffs and the defendant orally agreed to each submit applications to the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) to obtain a license to construct and maintain cellular phone operations. The parties agreed to share the profits if any one of them was awarded a license. The defendant was awarded a license, and the plaintiffs sued to enforce the agreement. The trial court granted summary judgment to the defendant finding the contract was illegal under FCC rules and therefore unenforceable. The plaintiffs appeal. We affirm.

Defendant Diane Jones (“Jones” or “Appellant”) appeals the judgment of the trial court awarding Plaintiff Carolyn Whitemore (“Whitemore” or “Appellee”) the sum of $1,250.00 as reimbursement for money given to Jones by Whitemore for investment in an illegal “pyramid scheme.”

This is a divorce case. In dividing marital property, the trial court awarded the wife 50.5% of the marital property and awarded the husband 49.5%. The trial court did not award the wife alimony or attorney’s fees. The wife now appeals the division of marital property, and the failure to award alimony and attorneys’ fees. We affirm.

This appeal is brought from the Claims Commission’s order dismissing the 2 appellant’s petition. Petitioner, a Tennessee Department of Correction inmate, was attacked by another inmate and sustained injuries as a result. Petitioner alleged in his complaint that the State of Tennessee was negligent in not providing adequate security. For the following reasons we affirm the Claims Commission’s order granting the State’s motion for summary judgment

Appellant David A. Humphrey commenced this pro se appeal to challenge the trial court's Final Decree granting a divorce to Appellee Cheryl Lynn (Douglas) Humphrey on the ground of inappropriate marital conduct. He asserts that the divorce should have been granted to him or the court should have simply declared the parties divorced. He also challenges the trial court’s child custody and visitation order, asking that in person visitation be required. Finally, he objects to the assessment of costs against him.

This case involves a contest of Tennessee sales and use tax assessed by the defendant Tennessee Commissioner of Revenue. The plaintiff satellite programming television company argues that its services are not taxable telecommunications because, as “broadcast[s] . . . for public consumption,” the satellite television services are excluded from the definition of taxable telecommunications. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff satellite programming television company. The defendant Commissioner appeals. We affirm.

This case involves an appeal from the SumnerCounty Circuit Court’s de novo review of a case from General Sessions Court, in which only one of the General Sessions Defendants perfected an appeal to circuit court.