In this healthcare liability case, appellant/patient appeals the trial court’s grant of appellee/doctor’s Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 12.02 motion to dismiss and its grant of appellee/doctor’s employer’s Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 12.03 motion for judgment on the pleadings. The trial court held that appellant failed to comply with the pre-suit notice requirements found in Tennessee Code Annotated § 29-26-121. As such, the statute of limitations barred appellant’s claims against the doctor. Having granted the doctor’s motion to dismiss, the trial court applied the common-law, operation-of-law exception to dismiss appellant’s vicarious liability claims against the doctor’s employer. Discerning no error, we affirm.

A mother appeals the trial court’s decision in this post-divorce modification action. We find no error in the trial court’s decision to change the residential parenting schedule and to make the father the primary residential parent. We further find no error in the trial court’s ruling making the father the sole decision-maker on non-emergency medical care and educational matters. However, we reverse the trial court’s ruling that neither parent could obtain a passport for the children or take them out of the country. Further, we vacate and remand the trial court’s decision on the residential parenting schedule for failure to make a specific provision for holiday parenting time.

In this interlocutory appeal, the employee reported tripping over a cord and injuring her right ankle. The company for which she was working asserted it did not have five or more employees and, therefore, was not subject to Tennessee’s workers’ compensation laws. Following an expedited hearing, the trial court determined that several related companies with one or more common owners operated as a single business entity and, when considered collectively, were subject to the workers’ compensation laws. The trial court ordered the company to provide a panel of physicians, but it denied the employee’s claim for temporary disability benefits. Both parties have appealed. We reverse the trial court’s order with respect to the threshold issue of the applicability of Tennessee’s Workers’ Compensation Law, conclude all other issues are pretermitted, and remand the case.

The federal judiciary can continue “paid operations” through Oct. 17 if the government shutdown continues, two weeks longer than initially projected, a judiciary official said Wednesday. According to Bloomberg Law, employees will remain fully paid while working during that period, but if the shutdown extends past Oct. 17, the judiciary will exhaust its remaining funds and limit operations. Federal courts across the U.S. are preparing for slower dockets and reduced administrative work if funding runs out. Court calendars are expected to slow as the Justice Department asks to pause certain civil cases while lawyers are furloughed. Criminal cases, in which defendants have constitutional rights, will be prioritized if funding lapses.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller visited Memphis on Wednesday to discuss state and federal law enforcement presence in the city with law enforcement leaders, the Daily Memphian reports. Bondi told officers that the Trump administration wants “cops to be cops again,” while Miller pledged “zero tolerance” for gang and drug activity. Hegseth said President Donald Trump is closely monitoring the effort, which will soon include National Guard deployments and hundreds of Tennessee Highway Patrol state troopers. Trump signed a presidential memorandum Sept. 15 announcing the Memphis task force, which has since taken shape on the ground. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, released a letter he has sent to Bondi and Hegseth that said, in part, “I still have many questions about how the Memphis Safety Task Force will work, the priorities of federal law enforcement and the mission of National Guard troops,” he wrote. “Many of the terms and structures of President Trump’s ... [m]emorandum ... remain undefined.”

Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro ranked in the top 20 on a national list of more than 250 schools for their policies upholding the First Amendment, according to The Tennessean. Vanderbilt rose from 140th last year to 7th place after a series of campus protests led to the arrests of four students and one reporter. MTSU debuted on the list at 15. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville ranked 36th, and the University of Memphis ranked 128th.

A U.S. immigration judge has denied an asylum request from Kilmar Abrego Garcia, WSMV reports. A judge in Baltimore on Wednesday rejected Abrego Garcia’s bid to reopen his 2019 asylum case, giving him 30 days to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. He also faces criminal charges in Tennessee stemming from a 2022 traffic stop, while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking to deport him to a third country, first proposing Uganda and then Eswatini. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have filed motions for a gag order, arguing their client cannot receive a fair trial because of “highly prejudicial, inflammatory and false statements” made about him. A federal judge in Tennessee can restrict prosecutors here from making such statements, but it is unclear whether that authority extends to the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on Tuesday announced that state Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, has been appointed chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and sets educational frameworks across the United States. White will serve a four-year term as chair after serving on the board since 2020. White chairs the state House Education Administration Committee and previously worked as a science teacher and K-8 school principal before becoming a small-business owner. The board administers the NAEP, known as the Nation’s Report Card, which tests fourth, eighth and 12th graders in subjects such as math, science and reading. The most recent results, released in September, showed declining scores among students, the Nashville Post reports. McMahon said the new appointments would help deliver meaningful data to policymakers and drive improvements in K-12 education.

The Knox County District Attorney’s Office has dropped trespassing charges against 12 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who were arrested at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) in 2024. The group was charged after weeks of campus protests against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. The charges were dismissed after the demonstrators collectively completed 100 hours of community service, according to Knox News. Two of those arrested, siblings Hasan Husain and Layla Soliz, filed a federal lawsuit in May alleging their First Amendment rights were violated. The suit names the Tennessee Board of Regents, UT trustees and UT System President Randy Boyd as defendants. Their attorney told the news outlet the case is moving forward.

The Tennessee Bar Association offers group health insurance exclusively for members through BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Many firms have found meaningful savings and access to a strong national provider network for their attorneys, employees and covered dependents. Enrollment opens Oct. 6; start planning now! Even if you've already renewed your current coverage, you may still move to the TBA plan. Contact Buck Orrison to schedule a 15-minute consultation to review your current plan and see what options are available. Solo attorney? Explore our separate health plan built just for solo practitioners.