In Tennessee breach of contract cases, the defense of unilateral mistake falls in the category of legal defenses (and claims) that are fairly often asserted, but rarely successful. Nevertheless, for lawyers who handle breach of contract cases in Tennessee, this is a defense that, in some cases, can be outcome…
Articles Posted in Business Litigation
Proving Intentional Interference With Contract In Tennessee
Tennessee recognizes both a statutory and a common law cause of action for intentional interference with contract, also sometimes called procurement of breach of contract or tortious interference with contract. The statutory cause of action is found at Tenn. Code Ann. §47-50-109. To say that the public policy of Tennessee…
Brick Salesman Held to Non-Compete Agreement by Court of Appeals of Tennessee
A recent case involving a non-competition agreement signed by a brick salesman proves the conclusion that, in many Tennessee non-competition agreement cases, the determination of whether or not a former employee should be bound by his or her non-compete agreement turns on very subjective considerations. In point of fact, in…
Breach of Contract Cases in Tennessee State and Federal Courts: What to Expect From Filing to Trial
Clients in breach of contract cases, as well as other cases involving business disputes, are often new to the litigation process and have questions about it. Common questions I receive at the outset of a case from clients are: How long will the case take? What happens after the complaint…
Recovering Under the Theory of Quantum Meruit In Tennessee
To recover in a breach of contract case in Tennessee, a party must prove that there was an enforceable contract. In Tennessee, an agreement must meet several requirements before it can be considered a legal contract. For example, there must have been a “meeting of the minds” between the parties…
Limited Liability Company Dissolution in Tennessee: To What Are Members Entitled? How Are Capital Contributions Treated?
Frequently in Tennessee, LLC members have to part ways. When that happens, it also may happen that one of the members will file a court action to have the limited liability company dissolved. Assuming that the LLC has assets, an issue that a Tennessee court is likely to have to…
Tennessee Jury Stings Insurance Company in Bad Faith Failure to Pay and Breach of Contract Case
A jury in Bradley County, Tennessee handed down substantial punitive damages award and compensatory damages award against Erie Insurance Exchange (“Erie”) in a case involving its failure to pay a claim for losses arising from vandalism and theft at apartment units which it insured. The case is a must read…
Tennessee Court Finds Fraudulent Conveyance Between Husband and Wife
Collecting a judgment or debt owed from either a husband or wife, but not owed by them jointly, can be difficult, if not impossible. Why so? Jointly owned property, in many circumstances, is not subject to a creditor’s claim against just one of the spouses. Some spouses try to avoid…
Uniform Commercial Code: Warranties Under Tennessee Law
If you do business in Nashville, or anywhere else in Tennessee, you might be wise to know something about the warranty provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”). Those warranty provisions are contained in Chapter Two of the UCC, which deals with sales. When do the warranty provisions of the…
Why Contracts Must Have Definite Terms
In what should have been an easy win in a breach of contract case, a Tennessee bank went home with a goose egg after the Court of Appeals applied a fundamental rule of Tennessee contract law to the facts of the bank’s case. The case, which was filed in Coffee…