
Opinion FlashSeptember 6, 2002Volume 8 Number 155 Following this index are summaries of each case, including its name, first paragraph, author's name, and the names of attorneys for the parties of each opinion. This Issue (IN THIS ORDER):
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Howard H. Vogel SHERYL FAULKS, et al. v. DR. BRENDA CROWDER, et al. Court:TCA Attorneys: David W. Blankenship, Kingsport, Tennessee, for the Appellants Sheryl Faulks and Bruce Zabower, Parents and Next Kin of Madison Faulks-Zabower, deceased, Sheryl Faulks and Bruce Zabower. Jimmie C. Miller and Nancy Eastridge, Kingsport, Tennessee, for Appellee Dr. Richard Reece. Jeffrey M. Ward and Thomas J. Garland, Greeneville, Tennessee, for Appellee Dr. Brenda Crowder. Charles T. Herndon, IV, Johnson City, Tennessee, for the Appellee Dr. Robert Grindstaff. M. Lacy West and Julia C. West, Kingsport, Tennessee, for the Appellee Sycamore Shoals Hospital, Inc. Judge: SWINEY First Paragraph: When this medical malpractice suit was originally filed, counsel for Sheryl Faulks and Bruce Zabower ("Plaintiffs") instructed the court clerk not to have process served. Process was not reissued until approximately nine months later. When process was reissued and served via certified mail, Plaintiffs failed to comply with the requirements of Rule 4.03(2) pertaining to return of the service of process. Three of the four Defendants then were nonsuited, but a new lawsuit against these Defendants was filed. The lawsuits were consolidated. The three Defendants in the second lawsuit filed Motions to Dismiss based upon the running of the statute of limitations. The remaining Defendant in the original suit filed a Motion to Dismiss challenging the effectiveness of service of process. The Trial Court dismissed both Complaints based on Plaintiffs' failure to comply with Rule 4.03(2). We reverse and remand. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCA/faulkss.wpd GUY R. JENKINS, et al. v. DAN GIBBS Court:TCA Attorneys: James S. MacDonald, Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Appellants Guy R. Jenkins and Aubrey Allen Jenkins. John A. Lucas, Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Appellee Dan Gibbs. Judge: SWINEY First Paragraph: After a dispute arose over the ownership of 1000 shares of stock in City Bonding Company ("City Bonding"), Guy Jenkins and Aubrey Allen Jenkins ("Plaintiffs") sued Dan Gibbs ("Defendant") seeking a determination as to how many shares of stock were owned by the various parties. Guy Jenkins also claimed Gibbs unlawfully procured the breach of a contract Guy Jenkins had with City Bonding. The Trial Court granted Gibbs summary judgment on the unlawful procurement of breach of contract claim. After a trial on the remaining issues, the Trial Court determined Gibbs owned 490 shares of stock, Guy Jenkins owned 255 shares, and the remaining 255 shares were unissued. All parties appealed the Trial Court's determination with respect to ownership of the stock. Guy Jenkins also appealed the granting of summary judgment on his claim against Gibbs for unlawful procurement of breach of contract. We vacate the summary judgment granted to Gibbs and affirm the judgment in all other respects. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCA/jenkinsgr.wpd EDDIE L. COLEY, JR. v. STATE OF TENNESSEE Court:TCCA Attorneys: J. Britt Phillips, Franklin, Tennessee, for the appellant, Eddie L. Coley, Jr. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Helena Walton Yarbrough, Assistant Attorney General; Ronald L. Davis, District Attorney General; and Derek K. Smith, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: GLENN First Paragraph: The petitioner, Eddie L. Coley, Jr., was convicted of aggravated robbery in 1996 and sentenced to confinement for twelve years. Following an unsuccessful appeal of his conviction, he filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging that his trial counsel was ineffective for not filing a motion to suppress a photographic lineup and not allowing him to testify at his trial. The post-conviction court denied the petition; and, following our review, we affirm that denial. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/coleyeddiel.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. IVAN E. CUMMINGS Court:TCCA Attorneys: Roger Eric Nell, District Public Defender, and Collier W. Goodlett, Assistant District Public Defender, for the appellant, Ivan E. Cummings. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; David H. Findley, Assistant Attorney General; John Wesley Carney, Jr., District Attorney General; and C. Daniel Brollier, Jr., Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: TIPTON First Paragraph: The defendant, Ivan E. Cummings, pled guilty in the Montgomery County Circuit Court to aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, and second degree murder, Class A felonies. The trial court merged the aggravated child abuse and neglect convictions and sentenced the defendant as a Range I, standard offender to twenty-four years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. For the second degree murder conviction, the trial court sentenced the defendant to twenty-five years to be served concurrently with the twenty-four-year sentence. The defendant appeals, claiming that the trial court erroneously applied enhancement factors to his convictions. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/cummingsIe.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. TIMOTHY WAYNE HOLLAND Court:TCCA Attorneys: Lee Borthick, Springfield, Tennessee (on appeal); Roger Eric Nell, District Public Defender; and Charles S. Bloodworth, Assistant Public Defender (at trial), for the appellant, Timothy Wayne Holland. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General & Reporter; Helena Walton Yarbrough, Assistant Attorney General; John Wesley Carney, Jr., District Attorney General; and Dent Morriss, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: GLENN First Paragraph: The defendant was convicted of facilitation of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary for his participation with a codefendant in robbing a resident of a Springfield motel and burglarizing his room. The trial court sentenced him as a Range I, standard offender to an effective sentence of six years. Following the denial of his motion for a new trial, he filed a timely appeal to this court, raising the following issues: (1) whether the trial court properly denied his motion for a new trial based on his claim of an improper closing by the State; and (2) whether the trial court properly denied his request for a jury instruction on accessory after the fact. Based on our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/hollandtimothyw.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. DAVID ALLEN LACKEY Court:TCCA Attorneys: Larry B. Hoover, Nashville, Tennessee (on appeal and at trial); and John T. Conners, III, Franklin, Tennessee (at trial), for the Appellant, David Allen Lackey. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Jennifer L. Bledsoe, Assistant Attorney General; Victor S. Johnson, III, District Attorney General; Pamela Anderson, Assistant District Attorney General; and Lisa Naylor, Assistant District Attorney General, for the Appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: WEDEMEYER First Paragraph: A Davidson County jury convicted the Defendant of one count of premeditated murder, one count of felony murder during the perpetration of a theft, and one count of misdemeanor theft. The trial court merged the two murder convictions and sentenced the Defendant to life imprisonment in the Tennessee Department of Correction for the murder conviction. The trial court sentenced the Defendant to eleven months and twenty-nine days for the theft conviction and ordered that the sentence run concurrent with the murder sentence. The Defendant now appeals, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the murder convictions and arguing that the trial court erred in failing to suppress his confession. After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/lackeyda.wpd DAVID MICHAEL LONG v. STATE OF TENNESSEE Court:TCCA Attorneys: Vance L. Baker, Jr., Athens, Tennessee, for the appellant, David Michael Long. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General & Reporter; Thomas E. Williams, III, Assistant Attorney General; and Charles Pope, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, the State of Tennessee. Judge: WADE First Paragraph: The petitioner, David Michael Long, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. In this appeal of right, the petitioner asserts that his plea was neither knowingly nor voluntarily made and that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/longdavidm.wpd JOHNNY McCLAIN v. STATE OF TENNESSEE Court:TCCA Attorneys: Daniel L. McMurtry, Nashville, Tennessee, for the Appellant, Johnny McClain. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Michael Moore, Solicitor General; Jennifer L. Bledsoe, Assistant Attorney General; Victor S. (Torry) Johnson III, District Attorney General; and Dan Hamm, Assistant District Attorney General, for the Appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: HAYES First Paragraph: The Appellant, Johnny McClain, appeals as of right from the judgment of the Davidson County Criminal Court denying his petition for post-conviction relief. On appeal, the Appellant argues that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. After review of the record, we find that the Appellant's brief fails to provide any argument in support of the issue as presented. Due to the Appellant's procedural default, the appeal is dismissed. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/mcclainjohnny.wpd STATE OF TENNESSEE v. WENDY STEVENS Court:TCCA Attorneys: Judson Wheeler Phillips, Franklin, Tennessee, for the appellant, Wendy Stevens. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Christine M. Lapps, Assistant Attorney General; Ronald L. Davis, District Attorney General; and Lee Dryer, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee. Judge: MCGEE OGLE First Paragraph: The appellant, Wendy Stevens, pled guilty in the Williamson County Circuit Court to one count of forgery involving a value of more than $500 but less than $1,000, and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card involving a value of more than $500 but less than $1,000, both Class E felonies. The trial court sentenced the appellant to eighteen months incarceration in the Tennessee Department of Correction for each offense, but immediately suspended the sentence in favor of supervised probation. On appeal, the appellant complains that the trial court erred by failing to grant her judicial diversion. Upon review of the record and the parties' briefs, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. http://www.tba.org/tba_files/TCCA/stevensw.wpd PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-MAIL! GET A FULL-TEXT COPY OF AN OPINION! JOIN THE TENNESSEE BAR ASSOCIATION! SUBSCRIBE TO OPINION FLASH! UNSUBSCRIBE TO OPINION FLASH? ... SURELY NOT! 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