The Tennessee Supreme Court today ruled in Haddon v. Vanlier, et al. that a plaintiff injured by an uninsured motorist could not recover prejudgment interest, even though she sued her own insurance carrier under the Uninsured Motorist Act. The court focused on the "gravamen" of the claim — determining it was a personal injury action, not a contract claim — despite the lawsuit being brought directly against the carrier. Since Tennessee law allows prejudgment interest in breach of contract cases but not personal injury cases, the court ruled Haddon was not entitled to the additional damages. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Tennessee last week filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of three individual Memphis voters, as well as the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Equity Alliance. The suit challenges Tennessee’s new congressional redistricting map and seeks to block the map from taking effect before the August primary election. Read more in a press release from the ACLU. Two other lawsuits — one from the Tennessee NAACP and one from voters and Democratic Congressional candidates — also have been filed. The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 11 appointed a special three-judge panel to consider the NAACP's case. According to States Newsroom, they are Chancellor Anne Martin, Chancellor Tony Childress and Judge James Gass. In the candidates' suit, U.S. District Court Judge William Campbell of the Middle District of Tennessee set a May 20 court date, WSMV reports.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) will kick off its annual fundraising campaign on May 28 with a virtual presentation from Russell Fowler, LAET's director of litigation and managing attorney. "The Top 10 Tennessee Lawyers" will cover litigators, judges and scholars and the legal and major ethical challenges they confronted and overcame, thus advancing the profession, ethical standards and justice in general. Additionally, LAET's Director of Development & Communications Chris Berryman will give a preview of the organization's upcoming pro bono initiatives. Register here for this free event.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 11 suspended Hamilton County attorney Patrick Bryant Hawley until further order from the court. On June 6, 2025, Hawley pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually exploiting a 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl and was sentenced on April 16 to 340 months in prison. The matter has been referred to the Board of Professional Responsibility to institute formal proceedings to determine the extent of the final discipline.

The Tennessee Supreme Court transferred the law license of Davidson County lawyer Nathaniel Foxworthy Greene to disability inactive status on May 11. Greene may not practice law while on inactive status. He may petition the court to return to the practice of law by showing that the disability has been removed.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated Hamilton County lawyer Michael Byron Tulloss to the active practice of law on May 4. Tulloss was placed on inactive status more than five years ago, on May 11, 2016. The Board of Professional Responsibility indicated the petition for reinstatement was satisfactory.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean has released an alert warning citizens about another scam targeting incarcerated people and their family members, Chattanoogan.com reports. Dean told the news outlet that he was advised by a judge that "defendants are saying that they, and in some cases, their family members, are being contacted by a company claiming to be called 'Second Chance' to get a release from jail." He reminded the public that "there is absolutely no bonding company in Hamilton County named 'Second Chance.' ... Always be the one to initiate contact, and only use an agent that has their contact information posted at the Hamilton County Jail."

State Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, on Monday announced his candidacy for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District, which now stretches from Memphis to Williamson County. He will face state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, who announced his candidacy for the newly redrawn district moments after the Tennessee General Assembly redistricted the seat. "I'm not a politician picked by insiders, consultants, and lobbyists,” Warner said in a release. "This district was built by family farms, blue-collar workers, small businesses, and proud Tennessee communities that have spent far too long being ignored by the people in power." The Williamson Scene has more on Warner's tenure in the state legislature.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 27 will hear oral arguments before an accomplished group of rising high school seniors at the Tennessee American Legion Boys State at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. The event is part of the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students (SCALES) program, which educates students about the Tennessee legal system and the judicial branch. “It is imperative that our young people have the opportunity to see the judicial system in action and up close,” said Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. “We are excited to bring this special session to Tennessee Tech University, where students will be able to observe actual cases argued before the Tennessee Supreme Court.” Participants will observe oral arguments in State of Tennessee v. Brent Paul Moon and Shirley Buckley et al. v. Jackson Radiology Associates, P.A. et al. beginning at 9 a.m. CDT.

On May 28, at 1:30 p.m. CDT at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Nashville, the court will hear oral arguments in three cases: Jospheen Guirguis et al. v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davison County; Leslie K. Jones v. Tennessee State University; and Mark T. Young, Individually and d/b/a Mark T. Young & Associates v. Bonnie Young Davidson. Both days of oral arguments will be livestreamed on the TNCourts YouTube page.

Brentwood attorney David Gebhardt on May 8 pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns that failed to report millions of dollars in income from cryptocurrency sales and from his consulting business, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Court documents show that Gebhardt purchased cryptocurrency but used decentralized exchanges and nominees to conceal his income from those investments, did not report the income on his tax returns, falsely indicated that he did not engage in virtual currency transaction, and failed to report all the gross receipts earned by a consulting business he owned. In total, Gebhardt caused a tax loss of more than $550,000 by filing false tax returns for 2018 through 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of six years in federal prison, as well as restitution and monetary penalties.