TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jul 17, 2026

Nearly two months after Tony Carruthers' failed execution, his sister has filed a medical malpractice complaint with the Tennessee Department of Health against Dr. Mark Walton Fowler, the doctor who attempted to set Carruthers’ IV line. His sister also alleges that Carruthers suffered a brain stroke and has paralysis on the right side of his body after the failed procedure, according to the Commercial Appeal. In related news, Davidson County Chancellor Russell T. Perkins has ruled that the state must identify the doctor it plans to use for Darrell Hines’ Aug. 13 execution, but stayed the order until the Tennessee Supreme Court can address the issue. Attorneys for Hines have asked the state to disclose if it plans to use Fowler and whether it plans to use expired drugs in the execution. The Nashville Banner reports on Perkins' decision.