Tennessee Injury Law Center

May 7, 2013

How Many People Sit on A Jury In A Tennessee Personal Injury Case?

Tennessee law requires juries of twelve citizens in injury trials and in all other types of civil and criminal jury trials. Rarely, the lawyers in the case will agree that the case can be decided by less than twelve people, but a very, very high percentage of jury trials in Tennessee are decided by twelve jurors. A judge cannot require that a case is decided by less than twelve jurors.

Depending on the anticipated length and complexity of the trial, a judge may also have one or more alternate jurors hear the case. An alternate juror will replace one of the twelve jurors who have been designated to hear the case if one of those jurors becomes ill or for some other reason cannot continue serving as a juror in the case. If none of the group of twelve jurors is required to leave jury service for any reason the alternate jurors are dismissed from the case immediately before the jury begins to deliberate a verdict in the case. No more than twelve jurors are permitted to decide the case.

In Tennessee a jury’s verdict must be unanimous. In other words, all twelve jurors must agree on the result. If the jurors are unable to reach an unanimous agreement, a mistrial is declared and the case must be tried to another jury at a later date.

May 6, 2013

Does The At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Company Have to Pay for A Rental Car While My Car Is Being Fixed?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Technically speaking, the automobile insurance company for the driver who caused your accident and damaged your car or truck does not have the responsibility to pay for a rental vehicle while your vehicle is being repaired. However, as a practical matter, many insurance companies will pay for the cost of a rental car for a reasonable period of time while a vehicle is being repaired.

Why do these insurance companies pay for a rental car when the law doesn’t require them to do so? Because the law requires the insurance company to pay damages for "loss of use" while the vehicle is out of service. The time that the vehicle is being evaluated for repairs and being repaired must be a reasonable period of time.

It is difficult to determine the value of "loss of use" but one good way to avoid future litigation over the meaning the phrase and the damages that must be paid is to supply a replacement vehicle for the use of the person whose vehicle was damaged in the wreck. Thus, insurance companies who believe that their insured driver was at fault will frequently give the claimant the right to rent a replacement vehicle.

May 4, 2013

Hit and Run Accidents in Tennessee

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

If you are involved in a Tennessee hit and run accident you may still be able to recover damages for the injuries you sustained in the accident. How? Your uninsured motorist insurance coverage on your vehicle protects you from hit and run drivers.

To prove an uninsured motorist claim in a hit and run case, you have to prove that t(a) here was actual physical contact between your vehicle and the hit and run driver; (b) the driver that hit you was negligent; (c) you reported the accident to a law enforcement agency within a reasonable period of time; (d) you were not negligent in failing to learn the identity of the hit and run driver or the owner of that driver’s vehicle; and (e) the nature and extent of your injuries caused in the accident.

Different rules apply if the there was no physical contact between your vehicle and the other vehicle that you say caused the accident.

May 3, 2013

What Is A Certificate of Good Faith in a Tennessee Medical Malpractice Case?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Tennessee law requires that certificate of good faith be filed with the Court at the time a medical malpractice (now called a health care liability) lawsuit is filed.

The certificate of good faith form is found on the website of the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts. The form requires the signer to certify that he or she has consulted with and has a signed statement from one or more experts who say that the case has merit.

The failure to file the form with the lawsuit will result in dismissal of the case.

May 2, 2013

The Need To Give Formal Notice Before Filing A Medical Malpractice Claim

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Tennessee law requires that formal notice of medical malpractice (now called health care liability) claims must be given before a lawsuit can be filed.

Notice must be given before the one-year statute of limitations (the typical deadline for filing suit in medical malpractice cases) expires. The notice must include certain information and must be given or send in a way required by statute to each health care provider who is going to be sued. Failure to give the right information or to send or deliver the notice in the way required by law will result in a dismissal of any later lawsuit against that health care provider.

(To be 100% accurate, the failure to give notice will result in dismissal of any later case against the health care provider. The Tennessee Supreme Court has not yet decided the impact of the failure to give notice precisely as called for in the statute. However, you should assume that notice must strictly follow the dictates of the statute until the Tennessee Supreme Court decides this issue.)

May 1, 2013

Why Can’t I Sue the Insurance Company of the Person Who Caused My Car Accident?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

If you are injured in a Tennessee car accident, truck accident or any other type of event, you do not have the right to file suit against the insurance company of the person or company that caused the injury. Instead, if you want to recover damages for what happened you must file suit against the person or company that caused the injury.

Why? Because, like most states, Tennessee does not permit what is called a "direct action" against the insurance company for the person or company that caused the accident. In fact, under Tennessee law, the judge and jury are never even told that the person or company that you filed a lawsuit against has insurance.

What the Legislature is afraid of is that if a jury knows that the person who is being sued has insurance to pay for some or all of the loss the jury might award damages regardless of fault. This is clearly a myth – most jurors rightly assume that the person being sued has insurance and there are plenty of court cases that result in no money or a very low amount being awarded to the injured party. Nevertheless, we continue to hide the fact of insurance coverage from jurors.

April 30, 2013

Lawsuit Against Tennessee City for Bad Driving By City Employee

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Tennessee law provides that when a city employee negligently causes a car or truck accident while they are working for the city the city is responsible for the harm caused. Thus, the a lawsuit can be filed against the city (not against the driver) and damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain, suffering and other losses can be recovered. Click on the link for more information on the types of damages that can be recovered in a Tennessee personal injury case. Click on the link for more information about wrongful death cases in Tennessee.

Tragically, the law limits the liability of any Tennessee city to $300,000 for any one person who is injured or killed as a result of the negligent driving by one of its employee’s while he or she is working for the city. Thus, even if your medical expenses are $500,000, the law will not permit you to recover more than $300,000 from the city whose employee caused the accident.

A lawsuit against the city must be filed within one year of the date of the accident causing an injury or death. Failure to file a lawsuit on time will result in the loss of your rights.

April 29, 2013

Deadline for Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Tennessee

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Tennessee law requires that a personal injury lawsuit be filed within one year of the date causing an accident. Failure to file a lawsuit on time against the person or company responsible for your injuries will result in a loss of your rights.

There are certain exceptions to the one year deadline for filing personal injury lawsuits, but you should not assume that any exception applies to you unless a competent lawyer familiar with all of the facts advises you that you have more than one year to file a lawsuit.

Do not wait until the last few days before the one-year deadline to file a lawsuit expires to hire a lawyer. Delay in seeking a lawyer means that valuable evidence may be lost and it is likely that mistakes have been made that effect the value of the case.

April 28, 2013

What Is A Deposition?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

A deposition is an out-of-court sworn statement made during a lawsuit. Typically, the lawyer representing the opposing party to a lawsuit will take your deposition to understand information you have about the case. Witnesses to events giving rise to the case may also be asked to give a deposition.

A deposition usually takes place in a conference room at the offices of one of the lawyers that is involved in the case. A person called a "court reporter" is present to administer the oath and to record the testimony. It is possible that the deposition will be recorded by a videographer.

Under Tennessee law, a person who is involved in a lawsuit can be asked to provide information that is "reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence in the case." That means that if you file a lawsuit or are sued in a lawsuit you can be asked questions that directly involve the facts of the case and also questions that may lead to information that might find its way to evidence at trial.

April 27, 2013

What Is A Summary Judgment in a Tennessee Auto or Truck Accident Case?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

A "summary judgment" is a decision by a judge that an automobile accident, truck accident, or other type of case should not go to a full trial before a jury. A judge can make a decision not to let a jury decide a case only if the judge determines that there is no dispute about the important facts of the case and that a reasonable jury could arrive at only one result in the case. If that is true, the judge will grant summary judgment (that is, a judgment before trial) to the person who he or she thinks should win the case before permitting a full trial on the case before a jury.

Sometimes a judge will grant a "partial summary judgment." Thus, the judge will determine that a car accident or truck accident was the sole fault of the defendant (the person or company sued in the case) but a jury must determine what damages were caused in the wreck and the monetary value of the damages.

Summary judgments are very rare in auto accident and truck accident cases. They are much more common in medical malpractice cases and in cases where people have been injured by defective or unreasonably dangerous products.