The 2018 Spring edition of Paradigm, a publication for International Society of Primerus Law Firms, includes a special feature by Lance Thompson. Read the full article here: Paradigm – Are Your Business Secrets Really a Secret?

By: Newton Anderson According to the Statista web site, www.statista.com, the number of dogs that lived in households as pets in the United States as of 2017 was 89.7 million, up from 65 million in 2002.  While it would appear that most are fairly well habituated to human beings, injuries from dogs do occur.  The …Read More

By: Cameron Watson Tina Lynn Davis Newell v. First State Bank, Inc., et al., No. W2017-01209-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Dec. 7, 2017) Spicer Rudstrom attorneys Christopher M. Myatt and Cameron M. Watson recently secured dismissal for their client, Elite Beach Tanning Co. in a suit where a customer sued for personal injuries after slipping and …Read More

By: Doug Bergeron What is spoliation in the legal context?  In law, spoliation of evidence is the intentional or negligent withholding, hiding, altering, or destroying of evidence relevant to legal proceedings.  Tennessee Courts have been tasked with dealing with claims of spoliation.  Courts have both express and inherent authority to impose sanctions for spoliation. There …Read More

By: Brent Usery In the coming months, the Tennessee Supreme Court may address an appeal of a recent Court of Appeals decision that reversed a $200 million dollar judgment in favor of the owner of the Opry Mills Shopping Mall in Nashville, Tennessee against several of its insurance companies.  A high-stakes insurance dispute like this …Read More

By: Tom LeQuire When defending government officials from constitutional claims for money damages, it is extremely important to understand the extent to which qualified immunity shields those officials from such claims.  In two recent cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has emphatically stated the extent to which the qualified immunity doctrine specifically protects law enforcement officers …Read More

By: Jake Strawn Uninsured Motorist coverage is a very important way to protect yourself and your family in the event of an accident. If you are an attorney who handles accident claims, chances are you have handled many cases involving an uninsured/underinsured motorist claim. Typically, unless the tortfeasor’s liability limits are equal to or exceed …Read More

By: John D. Barry Many insurance defense lawyers are asked to take examinations under oath of insureds by an insurance company client.  Typically this occurs when the insurance company has a belief that the insured may have participated in the loss to obtain the benefits of the insurance policy.  The usual examples are arson committed …Read More

By: Luke Jerkins In March 2013, two automobiles were involved in a high-speed motor vehicle accident in Sumner County, Tennessee.  The drivers of the vehicles were Charles Myres and Justin Bennett and those two are the only parties deemed to be negligent despite multiple collisions with other automobiles.  As a result of the accident, Sharon …Read More

By: Mike Vetter Numerous automobile and truck manufacturers and companies such as Uber and Lyft are trying to develop self-driving, autonomous, or significantly enhanced vehicles. Variations include occupied vehicles, following trailers, and completely unoccupied vehicles. Some manufacturers presently have in place a system to keep a vehicle within a lane of traffic based upon sensors …Read More

By: Thomas Hickey In a recent decision, Spires v. Simpson et al, No. E2015-00697-SC-R11-CV, the Tennessee Supreme Court addressed claimed prohibitions in two (2) statutes relied upon by lower courts to preclude and/or limit a spouse who abandoned his wife and child from serving as the party plaintiff in a wrongful death action on behalf …Read More

By: Albert McLean I’ve been handling commercial collections for companies in the Memphis, Tennessee area for over 30 years and I have developed the following system for companies who would like to improve their collections.  The following tips are absolutely effective in maximizing collections for companies who follow them.  At the outset, I should state that …Read More

By: Kevin Bernstein  As attorneys, we are zealous advocates for our clients and are tasked with ensuring that they are provided the absolute best advocacy we can provide.  Attorneys are often referred to as advocates with a meaning that is relatively simplistic and straight-forward, but “advocacy” can come in many forms. It can come in …Read More

By: Amy Markham In a workers’ compensation case in Arkansas, a claimant (injured worker) is charged with the burden of showing that the claimed injury was caused by his or her employment. However, issues of causation are not always straight-forward. In some cases, an employer or its workers’ compensation insurer may deny a workers’ compensation …Read More

Congratulations to Nashville attorneys, Tom Smith and Lance Thompson, on their recent victory at the TN Supreme Court Special WC Panel.  Check out the full recap here.         Sign Up, Stay Informed!

By: Howard Mowery Under Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 11 and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, every pleading or written filing by a party or his attorney which constitutes a certification by the signor that to the best of his knowledge, information or belief, formed after an inquiry reasonable under the circumstances, the factual …Read More

By: Christopher Myatt Trammell v. Peoples, No. M2016-02198-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 11, 2017) Countless electronic devices routinely capture video footage of both the profound and mundane events of modern life. Dashboard-mounted cameras, for example, are becoming ubiquitous in commercial vehicles. Video footage of an accident can often be conclusive or at least reasonably determinative …Read More

By: David Barry Contracts, we all sign them in some way shape or form on a weekly or maybe even a daily basis. While some of these contractual agreements may be in regards to services provided in the context of consumer services such as auto repair or the purchase of consumer items, which generally are …Read More

Summary by: Jared Renfroe The Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board decided a very significant case on February 6, 2018. The case title is Christopher Batey v. Deliver This, Inc., et al., and it was heard by the Appeals Board upon both parties’ appeal of the decision of the Honorable Thomas Wyatt, Judge with …Read More

By: Julie-Karel Elkin 1. About 100 days from now, the GDPR takes effect on May 25, 2018 2. Applies to all European Union subjects (citizens) regardless of geographic location and it looks as though the UK is going to opt-in 3. EU Regulations treat consumer data the same as employee data 4. Covers “collectors” and …Read More