Court Rulings

This Tennessee Public Participation Act appeal involves three parties and multiple issues. The plaintiff/appellee, Lisa Garramone ("Ms. Garramone"), while serving as a commissioner for the City of Nolensville, Tennessee, filed a complaint for, inter alia, false light invasion of privacy against four defendants, including appellants Jason Patrick ("Mr. Patrick") and Dr. Joe Curtsinger ("Dr. Curtsinger"). Ms. Garramone alleged that the defendants acted in concert to spread defamatory information about her during her 2022 re-election campaign. Each defendant responded by filing a petition to dismiss under the Tennessee Public Participation Act, Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 20-17-101 to -110 ("the TPPA"). Mr. Patrick also filed a motion for summary judgment; Dr. Curtsinger did not. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Garramone filed a notice of voluntary dismissal "with prejudice" of all of her claims under Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 41.01(1), to which the defendants objected. While the TPPA petitions were pending, this court ruled on the interplay between the TPPA and Rule 41.01(1) in Flade v. City of Shelbyville ("Flade I"), No. M2022-00553-COA-R3-CV, 2023 WL 2200729 (Tenn. Ct. App. Feb. 24, 2023). Consequently, the trial court ordered the parties to reargue the TPPA petitions considering this court's rulings in Flade I. Thereafter, the trial court determined that Ms. Garramone's voluntary dismissal mooted Dr. Curtsinger's TPPA petition but that it was ineffective against Mr. Patrick's TPPA petition because of his pending motion for summary judgment. The trial court further held that Mr. Patrick established that the TPPA applied because Ms. Garramone's claims were based on, related to, or in response to his exercise of the right to free speech. But the court held that Ms. Garramone failed to demonstrate a prima facie case for her tort claims as required by the TPPA. Thus, the court granted Mr. Patrick's petition, dismissed Ms. Garramone's claims against him, and ordered Mr.

¶1 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC (Morgan Stanley), appeals the district court's order denying its motion to compel arbitration. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC and Burns Wealth Management, Inc. (Exencial, unless the context requires otherwise) sued their former employee and partner, Matthew Ventura, and Morgan Stanley after Ventura went to work for Morgan Stanley. The Exencial Operating Agreement signed by Ventura contained an arbitration clause, and the district court granted Ventura's motion to compel Exencial to arbitrate its claim against him. Morgan Stanley also filed a motion to compel arbitration, which the district court denied.

Quo warranto—Mandamus—Appellants failed to challenge court of appeals' judgment dismissing their quo warranto claim on basis of laches and therefore waived that argument—Court of appeals' determination that appellants could not establish entitlement to city-council offices or that appellees were unlawfully holding the positions affirmed—Court of appeals' denial of request for writ of mandamus ordering continued payment of salaries and benefits as moot affirmed.

This is a premises liability/wrongful death case. Decedent, an employee of appellee's independent contractor, died when the suspension system that was used to lift and turn tire molds failed, and the mold fell onto decedent. The trial court denied appellee's motion for summary judgment on the question of workers' compensation exclusivity, but it granted appellee's motion for summary judgment on the question of duty. Because disputed material facts concerning appellee's duty to decedent preclude summary judgment, we reverse the trial court's grant of the motion on that question. We affirm the trial court's denial of summary judgment on the workers' compensation exclusivity question.

Crescent Homes SC, LLC (Crescent) appeals the master-in-equity's determination that a right of first refusal (ROFR) contained in a contract between Crescent and CJN, LLC was unenforceable. Crescent asserts that because no offer to purchase the property was pending at the time of the hearing, the master erred in finding the matter presented a justiciable controversy. It further maintains the master erred in finding the ROFR created an unreasonable restraint on the alienation of an interest in land based on the master's finding the ROFR lacked specific terms. Crescent also contends the master improperly refused to consider evidence of the conduct of the parties. Finally, Crescent argues the master should have addressed whether the ROFR violated the rule against perpetuities (RAP) and if the master determined the ROFR violated the RAP, reformed the ROFR. We affirm.

Following a woman's death in a nursing home facility, the woman's daughter sued the facility and its affiliated entities for negligence and wrongful death. The defendants moved to stay the proceedings and compel arbitration pursuant to an agreement that the woman's daughter signed when the mother was admitted to the facility. The trial court granted the defendants' motion but also granted the plaintiff's request for an interlocutory appeal. This Court agreed with the trial court and granted the interlocutory appeal. Because the woman's daughter, the plaintiff, did not have the requisite authority to sign the particular arbitration agreement at issue, we reverse and remand.