ÿWPC …# VUNa %¯ 0(µ4Ýñ w@ U:H B‚ Ä 0JÌ 0T 0^j 0hÈ 0r0 0|¢ 0† 0¤ 1u4 U,© 0dÕ U,9U>e B£U*ÀB)êDC AMV D3£öÖv~Ì 0@JvÓŠ AO]Ƭ 0Dr D/¶ Bå˜HP LaserJet 4Si/4SiMX PS 600dpiPSCRIPTÀÌÀääÀÀÌ0 (ÖÃ9 Z ‹6Times New Roman RegularX($¡¡DÒ 3|x§ •U–U— U˜ D™šU›DœÓ€§Â"Arial RegularC:\WPWIN60\TEMPLATE\STANDARD.WPT2 ÿÿ0Indent1Ô2ÔÔ3  Ô2" ÿÿ0Indent2à0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2, ÿÿ0Indent3à0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô26 ÿÿ0Indent4à0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2@ ÿÿ0Indent5à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2J ÿÿ0Indent6à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2T ÿÿ0Indent7à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2^ ÿÿ0Indent8à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô ÿÿ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)< Œ 9p`(ModernP ÿÿ8Mac DefaultMac DefaultÓ ` °šXÓ< Œ 9p`(Monaco< Œ 9p`(&Times New Roman d< Œ 9p`(Arial% Line 7 d''''7Border 1dd€-(Cþÿ << Gÿÿ%%%%'ÿÿdxd ìÝ ƒ!ÝÔ€ÔÔ€$ÔÝ  ÝÔ€&ÔÔ€&ÔÓ  Óò òÔ YYY ÔFILEDÔ€&XÔÌÌAugust€21,€1996ÌÌCecil€W.€CrowsonÌAppellate€Court€ClerkÔ  Ôó óPtPtHHÚ(ÿáÿâùFG(üHHØ(d'`("ÿÿ$££Ò  ÒÒ  ÒStyl{WP}01•ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃà Ãà Ãà Ãà Ãà ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÐ ÐÐHHÐÐ  ÐÐ2ÐÐÿÿ¸æ$ÿÐÐHHÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ  ÐÐ ÐÐ ÐÑÑÑGenevaÑÑ ÑÑ € ÑÑ<Px–ÈÑÒÒÒ443!#4ÒÒ$ *$ÒÒ$*$ÒÒ ÿKK ÒÒ  Geneva ÒÒ  Geneva ÒÓ.,ÓÓÓÓ6ÓÓ ÓßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÑMonacoÑÑ ÑÒ  BA Op Monaco ÒÒ  BA Op Monaco Ò€-‚ƒCþÿ<< CÿÿƒLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$””ò òÚ  Ú1Ú  Úó ó„„'÷ÿ dxdüÿP PdÝ ƒ!ÝÔ . ÔÔ€ÔÓ&€##X„d&ÓÑ#€##Xd#ÑÔ€$ÔÝ  ÝÑ\R AØ'\ÑÓ  ÓÑ\R AØ'\ÑÔ€&ÔÑ7€ ° XXdædÈ7Ñ›à@ àò òIN€THE€COURT€OF€APPEALS€OF€TENNESSEEÌà@ àWESTERN€SECTION€AT€NASHVILLEÌÌÌROBERT€EDEN€and€wife,€TAMELAà à)ÌS.€EDEN,€and€HEATHER€D.€EDEN,à à)Ìœb/n/f›€ROBERT€EDEN€and€wife,à àà à)ÌTAMELA€S.€EDEN,à àà àà àà à)€€Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àó óPlaintiffs/Appellants,à àò ò)€Robertson€Circuit€No.€7393̜ـ€ÙÙ€€ÙßL€)+(;+'h|ß×` Å `€€Lß›à àà àà àà àà àà à)ÌVS.à àà àà àà àà àà à)€€Appeal€No.€01A01„9603„CV„00141Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)ÌMIKE€JOHNSON€and€wife,à àà à)ÌPAT€JOHNSON,à àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àó óDefendants/Appellees.à àò ò)ó óÌÌÌà@ àAPPEAL€FROM€THE€CIRCUIT€COURT€OF€ROBERTSON€COUNTYÌà@ àAT€SPRINGFIELD,€TENNESSEEÌà@ àTHE€HONORABLE€JAMES€E.€WALTON,€JUDGEÌÌÌœÌÌÌÌ›Ìò òMICHAEL€W.€EDWARDSÌó óHendersonville,€TennesseeÌAttorney€for€AppellantsÌÌÌò òC.€BENTON€PATTONÌMANIER,€HEROD,€HOLLABAUGH€&€SMITHÌó óNashville,€TennesseeÌAttorney€for€AppelleesÌ̛̜ÌÌÌò òAFFIRMEDÌÌœÌÌÌ›Ìó óà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àò òALAN€E.€HIGHERS,€J.ÌÌÌÌCONCUR:ÌÌW.€FRANK€CRAWFORD,€P.J.,€W.S.ÌÌBEN€H.€CANTRELL,€J.ó óœÌÌ›ÓÓà àIn€this€dog€bite€case,€plaintiffs€appeal€from€the€trial€court's€grant€of€summaryÏÑ7€ ° XXdæ XXdæ7Ñjudgment€in€favor€of€defendants.ÌÌà àOn€May€10,€1994,€plaintiff,€Robert€Eden,€drove€a€jeep€that€he€had€advertised€forÏsale€to€the€defendants'€home€in€order€for€the€defendants,€Mike€and€Pat€Johnson,€toÏlook€at€the€vehicle.€Mr.€Eden€brought€his€minor€children,€Heather€and€Shelby,€with€him.ÏAfter€arriving€at€the€Johnsons'€home,€the€Edens€noticed€that€there€were€several€dogsÏon€the€Johnsons'€property,€some€of€which€were€confined,€while€some€were€not.€€One€ofÏthe€dogs,€a€30€to€40„pound€mixed€German€Shepherd€named€ð ðPapa€Dog,ðð€beganÏbarking€at€the€Edens€as€they€pulled€into€the€driveway.€€Mr.€Eden€allegedly€asked€theÏJohnsons€whether€it€would€be€safe€to€let€his€children€out€of€the€jeep€due€to€theÏpresence€of€the€dogs€on€the€property.€€According€to€Mr.€Eden,€Pat€Johnson€replied,Ï"[T]he€dogs€won't€bother€you."€€After€Mr.€Eden€and€his€children€had€emerged€from€theÏjeep,€Pat€Johnson€allegedly€told€both€Mr.€Eden€and€Heather€that€her€husband€had€justÏrecently€acquired€Papa€Dog,€a€stray€dog.€€The€Edens€allege€that€as€Heather€wasÏstanding€next€to€Mr.€Eden,€Papa€Dog€lunged€at€Heather€without€warning€orÏprovocation€and€bit€her€cheek.ÌÌà àIn€contrast€to€the€Edensðð€version€of€the€facts,€the€Johnsons€stated€in€theirÏaffidavit€that€they€have€owned€Papa€Dog€for€approximately€a€year€and€a€half,€and€thatÏduring€that€time,€the€dog€had€never€exhibited€any€aggressive€or€hostile€behaviorÏtoward€anyone.€€The€Johnsons€allege€that€on€the€day€in€question,€Heather€wasÏchasing€Papa€Dog.€€Pat€Johnson€repeatedly€asked€Heather€to€stop€and€also€asked€Mr.ÏEden€to€instruct€Heather€to€stop€chasing€the€dog.€€Ultimately,€Papa€Dog€"snapped"€atÏHeather.€ÌÌà àAs€a€result€of€this€incident,€the€Edens€filed€suit,€alleging€that€the€Johnsons€wereÏnegligent€in€allowing€Papa€Dog€to€run€at€large€on€their€property€without€confinement.€ÏThe€Johnsons€filed€a€motion€for€summary€judgment€on€grounds€that€they€had€no€noticeÏthat€Papa€Dog€had€any€vicious€or€malicious€tendencies.€In€support€of€their€motion,€theÏJohnsons€submitted€an€affidavit€attesting€to€their€lack€of€notice.€The€Edens€filed€aÏmotion€in€opposition€to€the€motion€for€summary€judgment,€asserting€that€the€adoptionÏof€comparative€fault€in€Tennessee€abrogated€the€"one€bite"€rule,€and€that€a€genuineÏissue€of€fact€exists€as€to€whether€the€Johnsons€were€negligent€in€placing€Heather€in€aÏdangerous€environment.€€Following€oral€argument€on€the€motions,€the€trial€courtÏgranted€summary€judgment€in€favor€of€the€Johnsons,€finding€that€there€was€no€genuineÏissue€of€material€fact€as€it€related€to€the€issue€of€notice.€€This€appeal€followed.€ÌÌà àThe€Edens€argue€on€appeal€that€the€trial€court€erred€in€granting€the€Johnsons'Ïmotion€for€summary€judgment€because€there€exist€genuine€issues€of€material€fact€inÏthe€case€òòsub€judiceóó.€€In€addition,€the€Edens€urge€this€court€to€hold€that€the€noticeÏrequirement€in€dog€bite€cases€was€abolished€by€virtue€of€this€state's€adoption€ofÍcomparative€fault.ÌÌà àIt€has€long€been€the€law€in€Tennessee€that€a€dog€owner€will€not€be€liable€forÏinjuries€inflicted€upon€a€third€person€by€his€or€her€dog€unless€the€owner€knew€orÏshould€have€known€of€the€vicious€or€dangerous€propensities€of€the€animal.€€òòFletcher€v.ÏRichardsonóó,€603€S.W.2d€734,€735€(Tenn.€1980).€€As€stated€by€our€Supreme€Court€inÏòòFletcheróó:Ìœ›ÓÓà8 àà8 à[T]he€owner€or€keeper€of€the€dog€is€not€answerable€forÏinjuries€done€by€it€when€in€a€place€it€had€a€right€to€be,Ïunless€the€dog€was€in€fact€vicious€or€otherwise€dangerous,Ïthe€owner€or€keeper€knew,€or€under€the€circumstancesÏshould€have€known,€of€the€dangerous€disposition€of€theÏanimal,€and€the€injuries€resulted€from€the€known€vicious€orÏdangerous€propensity€of€the€animal.€€The€basic€key€toÏrecovery€of€damages€for€injuries€caused€by€a€dog€is€theÏknowledge€of€the€owner€or€keeper€that€the€animal€is€viciousÏor€has€mischievous€propensities.€€ÌòòÌœÓÓId.óó›€at€735€(internal€citations€omitted).Ìà àœÌ›à àAccordingly,€in€order€for€a€plaintiff€to€recover€for€injuries€caused€by€a€dog€bite,€aÏplaintiff€must€prove€three€elements.€€"First,€[a€plaintiff]€must€prove€that€the€defendantÏowned€the€dog.€€Second,€[a€plaintiff]€must€prove€that€the€defendant's€dog€caused€theÏinjuries.€€Third,€[a€plaintiff]€must€prove€that€the€defendants€knew€or€should€have€knownÏabout€the€dog's€dangerous€propensities."€€òòThompson€v.€Thompsonóó,€749€S.W.2d€468,Ï470€(Tenn.€App.€1988).€ÌÌà àIt€is€apparent€from€cases€decided€since€Tennesseeððs€adoption€of€comparativeÏfault€that€our€courts€have€not€dispensed€with€the€notice€requirement€in€dog€bite€cases.€ÍòòSeeóó,€òòe.g.óó,€òòBlackwell€v.€Westerwallóó,€No.€01„A„01„9410„CV„00493,€1995€WL€153351Ï(Tenn.€App.€Apr.€7,€1995);€òòMcKenna€v.€Jacksonóó,€No€01„A„01„9510„CV„00438,€1996ÏWL€140496€(Tenn.€App.€March€29,€1996).€€Consequently,€we€find€the€EdensððÏcontention€in€this€regard€to€be€without€merit.€ÌÌà àThe€Johnsons€produced€an€affidavit€in€support€of€their€motion€for€summaryÏjudgment€attesting€to€the€fact€that€the€dog€had€never€bitten€anyone€since€they€hadÏowned€him,€nor€had€the€dog€otherwise€exhibited€any€dangerous€propensities.€€TheÏEdens,€however,€offered€no€evidence€to€rebut€the€Johnsonsðð€affidavit€as€to€the€issue€ofÏnotice.€€It€was€incumbent€upon€the€Edens€to€come€forward€with€some€type€of€evidenceÏsupporting€a€finding€that€the€Johnsons€knew€or€should€have€known€of€the€dog'sÏdangerous€propensities.€€€It€is€thus€our€opinion€that€although€there€are€disputed€issuesÏof€fact€in€this€case€relating€to€the€events€that€transpired€on€the€day€of€the€incident,€suchÏfacts€are€not€material€facts€because€there€is€no€dispute€as€to€the€issue€of€notice.ÌÌà àAccordingly,€the€judgment€of€the€trial€court€is€affirmed.€€Costs€on€appeal€areÏtaxed€to€appellants,€for€which€execution€may€issue€if€necessary.ÌÌÌÓÓà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àòò€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€óóÌà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àHIGHERS,€J.ÌÌÌÌCONCUR:ÌÌÌÌòò€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€óóÌCRAWFORD,€P.J.,€W.S.ÌÌÌÌòò€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€óóÌCANTRELL,€J.