Tennessee Court of Appeals: Asbestos Cases

Our case-law library holds 11 asbestos decisions from the Tennessee Court of Appeals (1978–2021). Each links to our summary and the full opinion.

• State: Tennessee
• Kind of court: State appeals court

Decisions

• Welch v. Welch (2021). The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's dismissal of the petition by Charles Welch's children, who wanted the West Virginia settlement proceeds treated as wrongful death proceeds; the wife and daughter (respondents) prevailed.
• Davis v. 3M Company (2020). The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's judgment against Ameron International Corporation, holding that the $750,000 noneconomic damages cap was properly applied before apportioning fault, which left Mrs. Davis with $115,247.91.
• Coffman v. Armstrong International, Inc. (2019). The Tennessee Court of Appeals vacated all the summary judgments the trial court had granted to Daniel International, John Crane and the equipment makers, so the Coffmans won on appeal, and it remanded the case for further proceedings.
• Stockton v. Ford Motor Company (2017). The Court of Appeals vacated the $3.4 million judgment for Joyce and Ronnie Stockton against Ford Motor Company and remanded, because the jury instructions and verdict form omitted required questions on whether the product was defective or unreasonably dangerous and whether the injury was foreseeable.
• Russell v. Illinois Central Railroad Company (2015). The Court of Appeals affirmed the jury verdict for the widow, Linda Russell, against Illinois Central Railroad, rejecting the railroad's challenges to expert testimony, causation, evidentiary rulings, limitations and the new-trial motions. It also upheld the trial court's $919,315 set-off for medical expenses, so the widow's cross-appeal failed.
• Blackmon v. Illinois Central Railroad Company (2014). The Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed the trial court's summary judgment for Illinois Central Railroad, which had been based on a release from an earlier asbestosis settlement, and remanded for further proceedings, so the widow's FELA claim continues.
• Nye v. Bayer Cropscience, Inc. (2009). The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment for North Brothers entered on the jury's verdict and remanded for a new trial, because the jury instruction on failure to warn was erroneous; this favored the widow, Evelyn Nye.
• Woody v. AW Chesterton Company (2008). The Court of Appeals reversed the denial of summary judgment for the defendants as to claims from pre-release asbestos exposure, which the 1980 release barred, but left Rebecca Woody's claims from post-release exposure standing.
• Satterfield v. Breeding Insulation Company, Inc. (2007). The Court of Appeals reversed the trial court's judgment on the pleadings for Alcoa and reinstated the estate's claims against Alcoa for further proceedings.
• Denton v. Southern Ry. Co. (Eastern Section, 1993). The Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment dismissing Norfolk Southern Corporation, but reversed the $25,000 jury verdict for Denton against Southern Railway and remanded for a new trial because of an erroneous causation/damages instruction and the exclusion of fear-of-cancer and cancer-monitoring evidence.
• Daniels v. Combustion Engineering, Inc. (Eastern Section, 1978). The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment on a jury verdict for the defendant insulation manufacturers, overruling all of plaintiffs Thomas and Oma Daniels' assignments of error.