Tennessee Supreme Court Decisions 2021

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, and other crimes and his sentence of death but reversed the portion of the judgment of the court of criminal appeals…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of criminal appeals reversing Defendant's conviction of premeditated first-degree murder, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction and that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of workers' compensation claims determining that Employee's workplace injury did not arise primarily out of and in the course and scope of his employment and granting…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that the economic loss doctrine applies when a fraud claim seeks recovery of only economic losses and is premised solely on nondisclosures or misrepresentations about the quality of goods that are…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the trial court's judgment dismissing Plaintiff's second lawsuit, holding that the doctrine of res judicata did not bar the lawsuit. Plaintiff…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving the correct interpretation of provisions in the Prompt Pay Act, Tenn. Code Ann. 66-34-101 to -704, relating to retainage withheld on construction projects, the Supreme Court held that the $300 per…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this healthcare liability action filed by a surgery patient and her husband, the Supreme Court reversed the holding of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court applying the statutory cap to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the decision of the trial court enjoining Defendant's proposal to build a structure for the operation of a retail business, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court answered a question of law certified by the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee by holding that Tenn. Code Ann. 56-7-111 does not provide for a private right of action.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal in a capital case, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of criminal appeals affirming Defendant's convictions and sentence, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his claims…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of criminal appeals reversing the trial court's order denying Petitioner's motion to correct an illegal sentence under Tenn. R. Crim. P. 36.1, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of criminal appeals and vacated the decision of the trial court to grant Defendant's motion for judgment of acquittal as to an aggravated child neglect charge, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the trial court's dismissal of Plaintiffs' action seeking a declaratory judgment concerning the rights and obligations of the parties under a 2001…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of criminal appeals dismissing Defendant's appeal and dismissed Defendant's convictions for possession with the intent to deliver more than twenty-six grams of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this parental termination case, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the trial court terminating Father's parental rights, holding that the trial court misapplied the missing witness rule and in applying the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the decision of the court of criminal appeals affirming Defendant's convictions for two counts of delivering marijuana and two counts of money laundering, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that a claim for wrongful termination of employment could not be asserted under the Teacher Tenure Act, Tenn. Code Ann. 49-5-501 to -515, by classifying a tenured teacher's resignation as a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the trial court's grant of summary judgment to the manufacturers of certain equipment (Equipment Defendants) in this product liability action,…