The Tennessee Supreme Court is gearing up for a busy session with four cases on the agenda for its May docket. Oral arguments for three of these cases will kick off at 9:00 AM CST on May 29 in Nashville, with a live feed for those interested in following the legal proceedings on the Court's YouTube channel, details of which were released in a press statement that can be viewed on the Tennessee Courts website.
Among the cases, the dissonance between local ordinance and state law draws the court's attention in Tinsley Properties, LLC v. Grundy County, a dispute sparked by a denied permit for a sand quarry due to its proximity to residences, forcing the Tennessee Supreme Court to scrutinize the harmony between county resolutions and the dictates of the Tennessee Air Quality Act and the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act of 1977, and the court must further ponder the procedural propriety of the county's zoning ordinance. In the case of Jo Carol Edwards v. Peoplease, LLC et al., the primary cause of a worker's need for surgery ignites debate—was it the vehicular accident on the job, or was it the ominous specter of pre-existing osteoarthritis? A divided Appeals Board's decision challenges the Court to clarify the standards for workers' compensation claims where pre-existing conditions are aggravated. Meanwhile, Berkeley Research Group, LLC v. Southern Advanced Materials, LLC navigates the geographically tangled waters of jurisdiction in arbitration agreements, pushing the court to determine how far-reaching Tennessee's judicial embrace extends. The fourth case, Connie Reguli v. Board of Professional Responsibility, will be decided based on written briefs alone, contemplating the legality of an attorney's approach in navigating the troubled waters of divorce, custody, and juvenile court cases, potentially leading to a career-ending verdict of disbarment.
Media professionals planning to attend the oral arguments should familiarize themselves with Supreme Court Rule 30, and those who plan to cover the stories must file requests with Communications Director Samantha Fisher at her email [email protected]. With a diverse set of legal conundrums, ranging from zoning and environmental concerns to the intricate dance of workers' compensation and the professional conduct of attorneys themselves, the Tennessee Supreme Court's May docket promises to shed light on areas where law and life collide.
