APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

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Rayford Martin vs. State of Tennessee

03C01-9707-CR-00286

This is an appeal as of right from the trial court’s denial of post-conviction relief from convictions based upon guilty pleas. The Defendant entered guilty pleas, with sentencing left to the discretion of the trial judge, to two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated rape, and four counts of armed robbery. At the sentencing hearing conducted on April 3, 1989, he received a total effective sentence of 150 years. This Court affirmed his sentences on direct appeal.1 The Defendant filed a petition for post-conviction relief in December of 1991; and following appointment of counsel, he filed a supplemental petition in June of 1997. The trial court conducted a hearing and denied the petition in July of 1997. The Defendant now appeals the trial court’s ruling. We affirm, but we grant D efendant relie f in the form of a delayed appeal.

Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Originating Judge:Judge Richard Baumgartner
Knox County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/04/99
Larry Aubrey Henson v. Elizabeth Ellen Sorrell

02A01-9805-JV-00135

The child of these parties, who were never married to each other, was born March 11, 1996. The paternity issue was determined in June, 1996 by the Juvenile Court, which also directed the payment of child support. The appellant questioned his liability for support because the child was conceived without his consent. He did not prevail.

Authoring Judge: Senior Judge William H. Inman
Shelby County Court of Appeals 02/04/99
Chris Hill Construction Company, v. State of Tennessee

02A01-9803-BC-
Authoring Judge: Judge David R. Farmer
Originating Judge:Judge William H. Inman
Court of Appeals 02/04/99
Melissa (Buckley) Hatchell, v. Jerry Buckley

02A01-9801-CV-0008

These parties were divorced in Arkansas on April 17, 1996. A Property Settlement Agreement was incorporated in the judgment which awarded custody of two children to Mother.

Authoring Judge: Senior Judge William H. Inman
Originating Judge:Judge D. J. Alissandratos
Shelby County Court of Appeals 02/04/99
Linda Chaney v. Robert Dickinson

03A01-9803-JV-00107

Robert Lee Dickinson, Jr., appeals the ruling of the Juvenile Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee at Chattanooga, insisting that the Juvenile Court erred in its determination of Mr. Dickinson’s Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure 60.02 motion for relief from child support payments based upon evidence that he is not the father of the child he has been supporting. The Juvenile Court ruled that Mr. Dickinson’s motion was barred by res judicata; therefore, Mr. Dickinson is still obligated to pay current and past due child support payments.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Houston M. Goddard
Originating Judge:Judge Suzanne Bailey
Hamilton County Court of Appeals 02/03/99
State of Tennessee vs. Timmy Beavers

01C01-9709-CC-00394

Following the denial of his mo tion to suppress evidence, the Defendant, Timmy Beavers, entered a best-interest plea to second degree murder, reserving the right to appeal the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress certain evidence. An agreed upon sentence of thirty (30) years was entered by the trial court.

Authoring Judge: Judge Thomas T. Woodall
Originating Judge:Judge Charles Lee
Lincoln County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/02/99
Antonio Sweatt v. Billy Compton, et al.

02A01-9710-CV-00252

This is a medical malpractice case brought by an inmate at a state correctional facility. The
plaintiff brought the lawsuit against various prison officials and the prison doctor alleging federal
constitutional violations as well as medical malpractice. The trial court granted the defendants’
motion for summary judgment. We reverse the trial court’s grant of summary judgment on the
plaintiff’s claims under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and remand for further
discovery. We affirm the grant of summary judgment on the remainder of the claims.

Authoring Judge: Judge Holly Kirby Lillard
Originating Judge:Judge R. Lee Moore Jr.
Lake County Court of Appeals 02/02/99
Todd Frederick Brooks v. Linda Faye Carter

02A01-9709-CV-00225

Defendant Todd Frederick Brooks (Father) appeals, and Plaintiff Linda Faye Carter (Mother) cross-appeals, the final divorce decree entered by the trial court which awarded the parties joint custody of their three minor children, designated the Father as the primary custodial parent, ordered the Father to pay child support to the Mother, and distributed the parties’ property. We affirm the trial court’s distribution of the marital property, with one modification, but we reverse the court’s custody decision and we remand for the court to recalculate the Father’s child support obligation pursuant to the Child Support Guidelines.
 

Authoring Judge: Judge David R. Farmer
Originating Judge:Judge Karen R. Williams
Shelby County Court of Appeals 02/02/99
Robert Leland Bryant, and wife Linda Kay Wolfson Bryant, Sandry Lynn Todd Bryant, v. James Ashley Bryant

01A01-9806-CV-00337

This is a termination of parental rights and adoption case. Petitioners-Appellants, Robert 1 Sandra Lynn Todd Bryant, wife of Respondent and mother of the minor children involved, joined the Petitioners in the petition to terminate the Respondent’s parental rights. In the petition, she consents to the termination of her parental rights. 2 Respondent’s wife subsequently left the couple’s home in Colorado to pursue job training in Florida. Upon completion of the two month job training course in Florida, she moved to Utah while Respondent continued his military career in Colorado. 2 Leland Bryant and Linda Kay Wolfson Bryant,1 appeal the trial court’s order denying their petition to terminate the parental rights of Respondent-Appellee, James Ashley Bryant, with respect to his minor children, Megan Rae Bryant, born December 13, 1991, and Devon Michael Bryant, born December 30, 1993.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge W. Frank Crawford
Originating Judge:Judge Muriel Robinson
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
Curtis G. Mayes v. Margaret C. Culpepper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

03A01-9801-CH-00032

This is an appeal from the denial of unemployment compensation benefits. Through the entire procedure, including an appeal to the Chancery Court for Knox County, the appellant has been denied unemployment compensation benefits because he had been guilty of misconduct arising out of the scope and course of him employment and  T.C.A . § 50 -7-303( a ) ( 2 ) bars him from recovery of unemployment compensation benefits. We reverse the judgment of the Chancery Court and remand this case to the trial court for entry of an order awarding unemployment benefits as provided by law.

 

Authoring Judge: Per Curiam
Originating Judge:Chancellor Frederick D. McDonald
Knox County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
Randall Craig Cobb, v. Sharon Ruben Cobb

01A01-9803-CV-00127

In this case Appellant challenges the action of the trial court in denying his application for relief under Rule 60.02 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, holding him to be in criminal contempt of court and denying his application for modification of alimony.
 

Authoring Judge: Judge William B. Cain
Originating Judge:Judge Muriel Robinson
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
State of Tennessee, ex rel., Kimberly Norfleet v. Tommy Dobbs, Jr.

01A01-9805-CV-00228

This appeal involves a parent’s efforts to avoid paying child support for her two children. Approximately two years after the Circuit Court for Davidson County awarded custody of the parties’ two children to their father, the children’s mother, with the assistance of a lawyer furnished by the IV-D contractor for Davidson County, filed a petition to eliminate her child support obligation because she was unemployed and her only income was Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) payments. Following a bench trial, the trial court denied the mother’s petition on the ground that she was voluntarily unemployed. The mother asserts on this appeal that the trial court’s order conflicts with the child support guidelines because she will be required to use her SSI payments to pay her child support. We have determined that the evidence does not preponderate against the trial court’s finding that the mother is voluntarily unemployed and that the trial court’s order is consistent with the child support guidelines. Therefore, we affirm the trial court.

Authoring Judge: Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Originating Judge:Judge Muriel Robinson
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
Charles Walton Wright v. State of Tennessee

01S01-9709-CR-00196

We granted this appeal to determine whether the appellant’s due process rights were violated when the lower courts dismissed his post conviction petition as timebarred by the three-year statute of limitations since the asserted violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S. Ct. 1194, 10 L. Ed. 2d 215 (1963), did not arise until after expiration of the three-year statute of limitations.

Authoring Judge: Chief Justice E. Riley Anderson
Originating Judge:Judge Walter C. Kurtz
Davidson County Supreme Court 02/01/99
Edmund George Zagorski v. State of Tennessee

01S01-9711-CC-00240

ORDER DENYING PETITION FOR REHEARING
Appellant Edmund George Zagorski has filed a petition to rehear this cause
pursuant to Tenn. R. App. P. 39 contending that our opinion conflicts with and/or
overlooks principles of law regarding trial counsel’s duties to investigate mitigation
evidence and fully advise a defendant regarding a potential mitigation defense. We
have reviewed all of the arguments raised in the petition, and we find them to be
without merit.

Authoring Judge: Per Curiam
Robertson County Supreme Court 02/01/99
Scottie Allen Yant v. Arrow Exterminators, Inc.

01A01-9801-CV-00004

The manager of an exterminating company brought criminal charges against the owner of a competing company for the alleged theft of a piece of equipment. The general sessions court determined that probable cause existed, but the grand jury declined to indict. The defendant in the criminal case subsequently filed suit for malicious prosecution. The trial court granted summary judgment to the civil defendant. We affirm.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Ben H. Cantrell
Originating Judge:Judge Barbara N. Haynes
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
State of Tennessee v. Kristina Schindler

03S01-9804-CR-00040

We granted this appeal to address whether a trial court can consider prior grants of diversion or previously expunged offenses in determining a defendant's suitability for diversion. In the case now before us, the trial court denied the defendant's request for judicial diversion because the defendant had previously been placed on diversion on two different occasions. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's decision to deny the defendant's application for judicial diversion. Upon review, we hold that evidence of prior diversions may be considered in determining whether a defendant is a suitable candidate for diversion.

Authoring Judge: Justice Janice M. Holder
Originating Judge:Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz
Knox County Supreme Court 02/01/99
State of Tennessee v. William Henry Barney

01S01-9802-CR-00033

The defendant, William Henry Barney, was convicted of eleven counts of rape of a child and seven counts of aggravated sexual battery. He is currently serving a total effective sentence of eighty years. Upon the Court of Criminal Appeals’s affirmance of these judgments, the defendant filed an application for permission to appeal to this Court. We granted the application in order to determine whether the language of the indictment was  sufficient under State v. Hill, 954 S.W.2d 725 (Tenn. 1997), and to determine whether the multiple convictions for rape of a child and aggravated sexual battery violate the constitutional principles of due process or double jeopardy. We conclude that the indictment is sufficient under Hill. In addition, we conclude that, under the facts and circumstances of this case, multiple convictions for rape of a child and aggravated sexual battery are justified and do not violate the constitutional principles of due process or double jeopardy.

Authoring Judge: Justice Aldolpho A. Birch, Jr.
Originating Judge:Judge Walter C. Kurtz
Davidson County Supreme Court 02/01/99
Margaret McCormick, v. Donald McCormick

01A01-9801-CH-00019

This case concerns a dispute over the division of marital property, alimony, and attorney’s fees. Appellant, Donald F. McCormick (Husband), appeals from the Final Decree of Divorce that, inter alia, awarded Appellee, Margaret Ann McCormick (Wife), proceeds from a 1 Husband’s W-2 form from the Frigidaire Company reveals that his wages for 1996 were $94,063.26. 2 In 1996, Wife’s gross annual earnings were approximately $9,000.00. 2 401K account, rehabilitative alimony, and attorney’s fees.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge W. Frank Crawford
Originating Judge:Chancellor Tom E. Gray
Sumner County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
Robby McCurry v. Container Corp. of America, a Division of Jefferson Smurfit Corporation

03S01-9705-CH-00050

The appellee, Robby McCurry, filed a second motion to rehear on December 28, 1998, petitioning this Court to reconsider our decision in the above styled case. The appellee filed this petition without first seeking permission from this Court as prescribed in Rule 39(f) of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. Accordingly, the motion is not well taken.

Authoring Judge: Per Curiam
Campbell County Supreme Court 02/01/99
Carl G. Berning v. State of Tennessee, Department of Corrections

01A01-9804-CH-00180

The Tennessee Civil Service Commission upheld the termination of a veteran supervisory employee for sexual harassment, conduct unbecoming a state employee, and failure to maintain a satisfactory and harmonious working relationship with fellow employees. The Chancery Court of Davidson County affirmed the Commission’s order. On appeal the employee asserts that he was denied progressive discipline prior to termination, and that he was denied due process of law. On the strength of the proof, he also claims that his conduct does not fit the definition of “conduct unbecoming” or support a conclusion that he failed to maintain a harmonious working relationship, and that his conduct was constitutionally protected. We affirm the trial court.

Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Ben H. Cantrell
Originating Judge:Chancellor Irvin H. Kilcrease, Jr.
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
Estate of Foster Hume, III, Deceased, The University of the South v. Meredith Klank

01S01-9709-PB-00182

We granted this appeal to determine whether the probate rule of ademption by extinction applies to the specific bequest of a house, where the house is sold at foreclosure before the testator’s death and sales proceeds representing the testator’s interest are identifiable after his death.

Authoring Judge: Chief Justice E. Riley Anderson
Originating Judge:Judge Frank G. Clement, Jr.
Supreme Court 02/01/99
State of Tennessee v. Preston Carter - Concurring

02S01-9705-CR-00045

In this capital case, the defendant, Preston Carter, pled guilty and was  convicted on two counts of felony murder. A jury sentenced him to death on both counts, finding that the murders of Thomas and Tensia Jackson were especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-2-203(i)(5).  The jury imposed sentences of death based upon the presence of this sole aggravating circumstance.

Authoring Judge: Justice Janice M. Holder
Originating Judge:Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood
Shelby County Supreme Court 02/01/99
Paula Lynn Barnett vs. Robert McAlister Barnett, III - Concurring

03A01-9709-CH-00414

This is a post-divorce action to modify child support and alimony. The mother sought to increase child support, and the father sought to terminate periodic alimony payments. The trial court granted the mother’s request for an increase in child support, with a portion of the child support to be placed in an educational trust, and denied the father’s petition for modification of alimony. Both parties appealed. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and modify.

Authoring Judge: Judge Holly Kirby Lillard
Originating Judge:Judge L. Marie Williams
Hamilton County Court of Appeals 02/01/99
State of Tennessee v. Gerald Robert Stevens, Laurie Ann Williams, and James Darren Brothers Stevens, et al.

02S01-9712-CC-00112

We granted this appeal to determine whether a conclusory allegation in an affidavit that information was provided by a “concerned citizen source” is sufficient to establish the presumptive reliability of the information for the issuance of a search warrant under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, § 7 of the Tennessee Constitution.1 There is a distinction in Tennessee law between “citizen informants” and “criminal informants” or those from the criminal milieu. Information provided by an unnamed ordinary citizen is presumed to be reliable, and the affidavit need not establish that the source is credible or that the information is reliable. State v. Melson, 638 S.W.2d 342, 354 (Tenn. 1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1137, 103 S. Ct. 770, 74 L. Ed. 2d 983 (1983). On the other hand, where information is provided by an anonymous criminal informant, the affidavit must establish (1) the basis of the informant’s knowledge, and (2) the reliability of the informant or the information. State v. Jacumin, 778 S.W.2d 430 (Tenn. 1989).
 

Authoring Judge: Chief Justice E. Riley Anderson
Originating Judge:Judge Julian P. Guinn
Henry County Supreme Court 02/01/99
Loyal Miller vs. Tennessee Board of Paroles - Concurring

01A01-9806-CH-00293

This appeal involves the fundamental fairness of the procedures used by the Tennessee Board of Paroles to revoke the parole of a person accused of committing child sexual abuse. The Board revoked the parole based solely on hearsay testimony concerning statements made by his alleged victim. The parolee filed a petition for a common-law writ of certiorari in the Chancery Court for Davidson County seeking judicial review of the Board’s decision-making process. After the trial court denied the petition, the parolee appealed to this court. We have determined that the Board’s hearing officer acted arbitrarily and illegally by applying an incorrect standard to determine whether good cause existed for not allowing the parolee to confront or to cross-examine his only accuser.  Accordingly, we reverse the trial court’s denial of the parolee’s petition for a common-law writ of certiorari and remand the case to the trial court for the entry of an order directing the Board either to conduct a proper parole revocation hearing forthwith or to return the parolee to parole status.

Authoring Judge: Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Originating Judge:Chancellor Irvin H. Kilcrease, Jr.
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/01/99