Punitive damages are meant to punish wrongdoers for reckless and purposely deceitful conduct. They are designed to send a message that some conduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Punitive damages can be awarded both in a wide array of cases, from injury case to business litigation. Many states do not place a cap [...]
With the start of the new calendar year and a new administration, lawmakers are ready with a variety of new bills they hope will become eventually become state laws. A few notable criminal laws were reported by the Tennessean this month. We’ve broken them down here, so you will know what to expect if they [...]
Many people suspected of a DUI think that simple things like chewing on a mint can help defeat a breath test. People also think they know more about impaired driving than they really do. If you are convicted of a DUI, you could be sentenced to jail, lose your license, be ordered to pay substantial [...]
Changes were recently instituted in the ways pharmacies can handle opioid medications. The new law was enacted in response to growing concerns that opioid drugs are addictive and can cause death and suicide. Pharmacies and doctors who fail to comply with these laws may face civil and criminal charges. Anyone in possession of illegal drugs [...]
In Tennessee, any driver who is convicted of a driving under the influence of alcohol charge will be ordered to surrender his/her license for at least one year. Any driver who refuses to submit to a chemical test such as breathalyzer test will also lose driving privileges for at least one year. All Tennessee drivers [...]
A CNN report cited data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that confirm how deadly the synthetic opioid fentanyl is. The rate of drug overdoses due to fentanyl increased 113% from 2013 to 2016. The percentage of drug overdose fatalities of any kind has increased 54% from 2011 to 2016; 63,632 [...]
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for 2017 confirm that more than 37,133 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2017. The number of deaths is a slight decrease from 2016 when 37,461 people died in vehicle crashes. The leading causes of traffic deaths include the following: Drunk driving. Drunk and drugged [...]
The New York Times reported on December 11, 2018 that the US Senate will vote on a new criminal justice bill before the end of the year. The bill has bipartisan support, a rarity in Congress these days. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky agreed to submit the bill, titled the First Step Act. The bill [...]
Burn injury victims can suffer a lifetime of physical pain. Serious burn injuries often require skin grafts and plastic surgery. The initial pain is often unbearable. Even after surgery, burn injury victims are in constant discomfort. For many victims, the emotional scarring is even worse. Many burn injury victims need to treat with psychiatrists and [...]
Whether you own a brand-new SUV, a well-used sedan, or any other type of car, after a car accident you might need to get the car fixed or replaced. The question of who pays for those repairs depends upon who is responsible, and the type of insurance involved. If you caused the accident, then you [...]
