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McCallie Chiropractic Clinic, Inc. D/B/A McCallie Health Center v. Erwin Dinsmore, Police Commissioner and the City of Chattanooga

CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedFebruary 4, 1998
Docket03A01-9708-CH-00318
StatusPublished

This text of McCallie Chiropractic Clinic, Inc. D/B/A McCallie Health Center v. Erwin Dinsmore, Police Commissioner and the City of Chattanooga (McCallie Chiropractic Clinic, Inc. D/B/A McCallie Health Center v. Erwin Dinsmore, Police Commissioner and the City of Chattanooga) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCallie Chiropractic Clinic, Inc. D/B/A McCallie Health Center v. Erwin Dinsmore, Police Commissioner and the City of Chattanooga, (Tenn. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

I N T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S A T K N O X V I L L E FILED February 4, 1998

Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate C ourt Clerk M c C A L L I E C H I R O P R A C T I C C L I N I C , ) H A M I L T O N C H A N C E R Y I N C . , d / b / a M c C A L L I E H E A L T H ) C . A . N O . 0 3 A 0 1 - 9 7 0 8 - C H - 0 0 3 1 8 C E N T E R , ) ) P l a i n t i f f - A p p e l l a n t ) ) ) ) ) ) v s . ) H O N . H O W E L L N . P E O P L E S ) J U D G E ) ) ) ) ) E R W I N D I N S M O R E , P o l i c e ) A F F I R M E D A N D R E M A N D E D C o m m i s s i o n e r , a n d T H E C I T Y O F ) C H A T T A N O O G A , ) ) D e f e n d a n t s - A p p e l l e e s )

D O U G L A S R . P I E R C E a n d D E E N A M . C H A R D O F F , K i n g & B a l l o w , N a s h v i l l e , f o r A p p e l l a n t .

P H I L L I P A . N O B L E T T & R A N D A L L L . N E L S O N , C i t y A t t o r n e y , C h a t t a n o o g a , f o r a p p e l l e e s . O P I N I O N

M c M u r r a y , J .

T h e a p p e l l a n t ( p l a i n t i f f ) i n s t i t u t e d t h i s a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e

a p p e l l e e s ( d e f e n d a n t s ) i n a n a t t e m p t t o g a i n a c c e s s t o c o p i e s o f

p o l i c e r e p o r t s o f a u t o m o b i l e a c c i d e n t s i n v e s t i g a t e d b y t h e

C h a t t a n o o g a P o l i c e D e p a r t m e n t . T h e p l a i n t i f f h a d r e q u e s t e d b y

l e t t e r t o i n s p e c t " [ a ] l l t r a f f i c a c c i d e n t r e p o r t s m a i n t a i n e d b y

y o u r d e p a r t m e n t w h i c h r e l a t e t o a n y a c c i d e n t o c c u r r i n g w i t h i n s e v e n

d a y s p r e c e d i n g t h e d a t e o f t h i s l e t t e r . " T h e d e f e n d a n t s h a d

r e f u s e d a c c e s s t o t h e p l a i n t i f f o n t h e t h e o r y t h a t s u c h a c c i d e n t

r e p o r t s a r e m a d e c o n f i d e n t i a l u n d e r t h e p r o v i s i o n s o f T . C . A . § § 5 5 -

1 0 - 1 0 8 , e t s e q . T h e a c t i o n w a s b r o u g h t p u r s u a n t t o t h e p r o v i s i o n s

o f T h e T e n n e s s e e P u b l i c R e c o r d s A c t c o d i f i e d i n T . C . A . § § 1 0 - 7 - 5 0 3 ,

e t s e q . T h e t r i a l c o u r t d e n i e d r e l i e f a n d t h i s a p p e a l r e s u l t e d .

W e a f f i r m t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t .

W e a r e u n a b l e t o a s c e r t a i n f r o m t h e r e c o r d w h e t h e r a n y

e v i d e n c e w a s p r e s e n t e d a t t h e h e a r i n g b e f o r e t h e t r i a l c o u r t .

T h e r e i s a n o t i c e t h a t n o t r a n s c r i p t w i l l b e f i l e d . T h e c o m p l a i n t

a n d t h e a d m i s s i o n s i n t h e a n s w e r a r e s u f f i c i e n t , h o w e v e r , t o

p r e s e n t t h e c o u r t w i t h a n i s s u e l i m i t e d t o a q u e s t i o n o f l a w . T h e

q u e s t i o n o f l a w a s s t a t e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t i n i t s b r i e f i s " w h e t h e r

t h e p u b l i c h a s a r i g h t o f a c c e s s t o t r a f f i c a c c i d e n t r e p o r t s

m a i n t a i n e d b y l o c a l l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s ? " I n r e a c h i n g a n

a n s w e r t o t h i s q u e s t i o n t h e p e r t i n e n t p a r t s o f T . C . A . § § 1 0 - 7 - 5 0 3 ,

2 e t s e q . , a n d T . C . A . § § § 5 5 - 1 0 - 1 0 8 , e t s e q . , m u s t b e r e a d " i n p a r i

m a t e r i a . "

. . . I t i s w e l l - s e t t l e d t h a t t h e g u i d i n g p r i n c i p l e o f s t a t u t o r y c o n s t r u c t i o n i s t o a s c e r t a i n a n d g i v e e f f e c t t o t h e l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e n t w i t h o u t u n d u l y r e s t r i c t i n g o r e x p a n d i n g a s t a t u t e ' s c o v e r a g e b e y o n d i t s i n t e n d e d s c o p e . S t a t e v . S l i g e r , 8 4 6 S . W . 2 d 2 6 2 , 2 6 3 ( T e n n . 1 9 9 3 ) . I n s e e k i n g t o a s c e r t a i n l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e n t , w e m u s t l o o k t o t h e e n t i r e s t a t u t e i n o r d e r t o a v o i d a n y f o r c e d o r s u b t l e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e p e r t i n e n t l a n g u a g e . M c C l a i n v . H e n r y I . S i e g e l C o . , 8 3 4 S . W . 2 d 2 9 5 ( T e n n . 1 9 9 2 ) . A c c o r d i n g l y , s t a t u t e s " i n p a r i m a t e r i a " - - t h o s e r e l a t i n g t o t h e s a m e s u b j e c t o r h a v i n g a c o m m o n p u r p o s e - - a r e t o b e c o n s t r u e d t o g e t h e r , a n d t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f o n e s u c h s t a t u t e , i f d o u b t f u l , m a y b e a i d e d b y c o n s i d e r i n g t h e w o r d s a n d l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e n t i n d i c a t e d b y t h e l a n g u a g e o f a n o t h e r s t a t u t e . B e l l e - A i r e V i l l a g e , I n c . v . G h o r l e y , 5 7 4 S . W . 2 d 7 2 3 , 7 2 5 ( T e n n . 1 9 7 8 ) ; S p e n c e v . M i l e s L a b o r a t o r i e s , I n c . , 8 1 0 F . S u p p . 9 5 2 ( E . D . T e n n . 1 9 9 2 ) . F i n a l l y , a n o t h e r a i d t o d e t e r m i n i n g l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e n t i s t h e r u l e " e j u s d e m g e n e r i s , " m e a n i n g w h e r e g e n e r a l w o r d s f o l l o w s p e c i a l w o r d s w h i c h l i m i t t h e s c o p e o f t h e s t a t u t e , g e n e r a l w o r d s w i l l b e c o n s t r u e d a s a p p l y i n g t o t h i n g s o f t h e s a m e k i n d o r c l a s s a s t h o s e i n d i c a t e d b y t h e p r e c e d - i n g s p e c i a l w o r d s . N a n c e b y N a n c e v . W e s t s i d e H o s p . , 7 5 0 S . W . 2 d 7 4 0 , 7 4 3 ( T e n n . 1 9 8 8 ) .

L y o n s v . R a s a r , 8 7 2 S . W . 2 d 8 9 5 , 8 9 7 ( T e n n . 1 9 9 4 ) .

I n c o n s t r u i n g a s t a t u t e i t i s t h e d u t y o f t h e c o u r t t o g i v e e v e r y w o r d a n d p h r a s e m e a n i n g . U n i t e d C a n n e r s , I n c . v . K i n g , 6 9 6 S . W . 2 d 5 2 5 ( T e n n . 1 9 8 5 ) . W e m u s t c o n s t r u e t h e s t a t u t e s o t h a t n o p a r t i s i n o p e r a t i v e , s u p e r f l u o u s , v o i d o r i n s i g n i f i c a n t . T i d w e l l v . C o l l i n s , 5 2 2 S . W . 2 d 6 7 4 ( T e n n . 1 9 7 5 ) . " S t a t u t e s a r e n o t t o b e c o n s t r u e d s o s t r i c t l y a s t o d e f e a t t h e o b v i o u s i n t e n t i o n o f t h e l e g i s l a t u r e . . . . Q u e s t i o n s i n v o l v i n g s t a t u t o r y c o n s t r u c t i o n ' m u s t b e a n s w e r e d i n l i g h t o f r e a s o n , h a v i n g i n m i n d t h e o b j e c t o f t h e s t a t u t e , a n d t h e m i s c h i e f i t a i m s a t . ' " S t a t e v . N e t t o , 4 8 6 S . W . 2 d 7 2 5 , 7 2 8 ( T en n . 1 9 7 2 ) ( c i t a t i o n o m i t t e d ) . T h e r e f o r e , i n d e f i n i t e a n d u n c l e a r w o r d s i n t h e s t a t u t e m u s t b e g i v e n s u c h i n t e r p r e -

3 t a t i o n a s w i l l e x p r e s s t h e l e g i s l a t u r e ' s i n t e n t i o n a n d p u r p o s e . H o o d v . S t a t e , 1 8 7 T e n n . 5 0 1 , 2 1 6 S . W . 2 d 1 4 ( 1 9 4 8 ) .

L o f t o n v . L a n g s d o n , 8 1 3 S . W . 2 d 4 7 5 ( T e n n . A p p . 1 9 9 1 ) .

W e a r e r e q u i r e d t o c o n s t r u e t e r m s r e a s o n a b l y a n d n o t i n a f a s h i o n w h i c h w i l l l e a d t o a n a b s u r d r e s u l t .

M c C l e l l a n d v . B o a r d o f R e g e n t s o f t h e S t a t e U n i v . , 9 2 1 S . W . 2 d 6 8 4 ( T e n n . 1 9 9 6 ) .

S i n c e w e a r e r e v i e w i n g a j u d g m e n t i n v o l v i n g a q u e s t i o n o f l a w ,

o u r s t a n d a r d o f r e v i e w i s d e n o v o w i t h n o p r e s u m p t i o n o f c o r r e c t -

n e s s . S e e N C N B N a t ' l B a n k v .

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Bluebook (online)
McCallie Chiropractic Clinic, Inc. D/B/A McCallie Health Center v. Erwin Dinsmore, Police Commissioner and the City of Chattanooga, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccallie-chiropractic-clinic-inc-dba-mccallie-heal-tennctapp-1998.