Starks v. Durham

CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedAugust 12, 1999
Docket01A01-9808-CV-00453
StatusPublished

This text of Starks v. Durham (Starks v. Durham) 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
Starks v. Durham, (Tenn. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

I N T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S A T N A S H V I L L E

S T E L L A L . S T A R K S , ) C / A N o . 0 1 A 0 1 - 9 8 0 8 - C V - 0 0 4 5 3 P l a i n t i f f ) R O B E R T S O N C I R C U I T

v . ) ) ) N o . 8 7 4 0 FILED B A R T D U R H A M , d / b / a I N J U R Y & ) August 12, 1999 A C C I D E N T L A W O F F I C E S a n d ) T H O M A S J . E L M L I N G E R , ) Cecil Crowson, Jr. D e f e n d a n t s ) Appellate Court Clerk A N D ) B A R T D U R H A M , d / b / a I N J U R Y & ) A C C I D E N T L A W O F F I C E S , ) T h i r d - P a r t y P l a i n t i f f / ) A p p e l l a n t ) ) v . ) ) S T E V E D A R N E L L a n d B A T E M A N , ) B A T E M A N & D A R N E L L , P . C . , ) T h i r d - P a r t y D e f e n d a n t s / ) A p p e l l e e s )

A P P E A L E D F R O M T H E C I R C U I T C O U R T O F R O B E R T S O N C O U N T Y T H E H O N O R A B L E J A M E S E . W A L T O N , J U D G E

R o b e r t L . W h i t a k e r B A R T D U R H A M I N J U R Y & A C C I D E N T L A W O F F I C E S 4 0 4 J a m e s R o b e r t s o n P a r k w a y 1 7 1 2 P a r k w a y T o w e r s N a s h v i l l e , T N 3 7 2 1 9 F o r A p p e l l a n t B a r t D u r h a m I n j u r y & A c c i d e n t L a w O f f i c e s

J a m e s M . D o r a n , J r . E l l e n F r a n c e s C o u g h l i n N a s h v i l l e C i t y C e n t e r 5 1 1 U n i o n S t r e e t , S u i t e 2 1 0 0 P . O . B o x 1 9 8 9 6 6 N a s h v i l l e , T N 3 7 2 1 9 - 8 9 6 6 F o r A p p e l l e e s S t e v e D a r n e l l a n d B a t e m a n , B a t e m a n & D a r n e l l , P . C .

A F F I R M E D A N D R E M A N D E D

H o u s t o n M . G o d d a r d , P r e s i d i n g J u d g e

C O N C U R : F R A N K S , J . C A N T R E L L , P . J . ( M . S . ) O P I N I O N

Goddard, P.J.

B a r t D u r h a m , d / b / a I n j u r y a n d A c c i d e n t L a w O f f i c e s

( D u r h a m ) , T h i r d - P a r t y P l a i n t i f f , a p p e a l s p u r s u a n t t o R u l e 5 4 o f

t h e T e n n e s s e e R u l e s o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e , a s u m m a r y j u d g m e n t

g r a n t e d t o S t e v e D a r n e l l a n d B a t e m a n , B a t e m a n & D a r n e l l , P . C . ,

T h i r d - P a r t y D e f e n d a n t s , i n s i s t i n g t h a t t h e r e a r e d i s p u t e d

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

T h i s a p p e a l h a d i t s g e n e s i s i n a n e a r l i e r t o r t a c t i o n

f i l e d b y S t e l l a L . S t a r k s , w h o w a s r e p r e s e n t e d b y M r . D u r h a m ,

a g a i n s t S a m u e l J . B r o w n i n g a n d h i s p a r e n t s , J o s e p h F . B r o w n i n g

a n d M a r y B r o w n i n g , s e e k i n g c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r p e r s o n a l i n j u r i e s

r e c e i v e d b y M s . S t a r k s i n a v e h i c u l a r a c c i d e n t . T h e c o m p l a i n t 1 a l l e g e d t h a t t h e p a r e n t s o f S a m u e l w e r e l i a b l e u n d e r t h e F a m i l y

P u r p o s e D o c t r i n e . I n M s . S t a r k s ’ s u i t M i k e F a r m e r , S r . , C i n d y

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

t h e o r y t h a t t h e y k n o w i n g l y s e r v e d a l c o h o l b e v e r a g e s t o S a m u e l ,

w h o w a s a m i n o r a t t h e t i m e .

T h e F a r m e r d e f e n d a n t s w e r e e x o n e r a t e d b y e n t r y o f a

s u m m a r y j u d g m e n t i n t h e i r f a v o r .

1 Our use of the first names of the parties should not be construed as any disrespect, but rather is for ease of reference.

2 A j u r y r e t u r n e d a v e r d i c t i n f a v o r o f M s . S t a r k s

a g a i n s t S a m u e l i n t h e a m o u n t o f $ 2 8 1 , 0 0 0 c o m p e n s a t o r y d a m a g e s a n d

$ 5 0 0 p u n i t i v e d a m a g e s . H i s p a r e n t s , J o s e p h a n d M a r y , w e r e

a c q u i t t e d b y t h e j u r y u p o n i t s f i n d i n g t h a t t h e F a m i l y P u r p o s e

D o c t r i n e w a s n o t a p p l i c a b l e .

S h o r t l y a f t e r t h e j u r y v e r d i c t w a s r e t u r n e d , M s .

S t a r k s , a t t h e u r g i n g o f M r . D u r h a m , a c c e p t e d a n o f f e r o f 2 $ 1 1 0 , 0 0 0 i n s e t t l e m e n t o f h e r c l a i m a g a i n s t S a m u e l a n d h i s

p a r e n t s .

T h e r e a f t e r , M s . S t a r k s a t t e m p t e d t o w i t h d r a w h e r

a c c e p t a n c e o f t h e o f f e r t o s e t t l e , b u t t h e T r i a l C o u r t , u p o n

m o t i o n o f t h e B r o w n i n g s , u p h e l d t h e s e t t l e m e n t .

W h e r e u p o n , M s . S t a r k s f i l e d a l e g a l m a l p r a c t i c e a c t i o n 3 a g a i n s t D u r h a m a n d T h o m a s J . E l m l i n g e r , a l l e g i n g t h a t t h e y h a d

m i s l e d h e r r e g a r d i n g t h e r i g h t o f S a m u e l , w h o w a s i n t o x i c a t e d a t

t h e t i m e o f t h e a c c i d e n t , t o b e d i s c h a r g e d i n b a n k r u p t c y .

A f t e r M s . S t a r k s ’ l e g a l m a l p r a c t i c e c a s e w a s f i l e d ,

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

B a t e m a n , B a t e m a n & D a r n e l l , P . C . , t h e a t t o r n e y s w h o i n i t i a l l y

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

a l l e g e s t h a t D u r h a m w a s e n t i t l e d t o r e i m b u r s e m e n t o r c o n t r i b u t i o n

2 I n s u r a n c e c o v e r a g e w a s $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 .

3 M r . E l m l i n g e r , a n a t t o r n e y , i s a l l e g e d i n t h e c o m p l a i n t t o b e a n e m p l o y e e o f D u r h a m .

3 f o r a n y r e c o v e r y M s . S t a r k s m i g h t r e c e i v e a g a i n s t t h e m b e c a u s e

M r . D a r n e l l a n d B a t e m a n , B a t e m a n & D a r n e l l , P . C . , f a i l e d t o

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

f a v o r o f t h e F a r m e r d e f e n d a n t s .

U p o n t h e t h i r d - p a r t y c o m p l a i n t b e i n g f i l e d , t h e T h i r d -

P a r t y D e f e n d a n t s w i t h d r e w a s c o u n s e l f o r M s . S t a r k s a n d s h e t h e n

e m p l o y e d M a r y L e e c h t o r e p r e s e n t h e r .

T h e r e c o r d c o n t a i n s a n a f f i d a v i t f r o m M s . S t a r k s , a s

w e l l a s a l e t t e r , w h i c h i s a n e x h i b i t t o h e r r e s p o n s e t o

i n t e r r o g a t o r i e s , t h e p e r t i n e n t p a r t s o f w h i c h a r e a s f o l l o w s :

A F F I D A V I T

3 . I h a v e b e e n a d v i s e d t h a t t h e f i n a l O r d e r i n m y p e r s o n a l i n j u r y c a s e , w h i c h w a s t r i e d i n A u g u s t o f 1 9 9 7 , w a s e n t e r e d o n D e c e m b e r 2 3 , 1 9 9 7 .

4 . P r i o r t o t h e r u n n i n g o f t h e t i m e p e r i o d f o r a p p e a l , I w a s a l s o a d v i s e d o f t h e J a n u a r y 2 2 , 1 9 9 8 d e a d l i n e f o r a p p e a l i n g m y p e r s o n a l i n j u r y c a s e .

5 . A f t e r t h e e n t r y o f t h e f i n a l O r d e r i n m y p e r s o n a l i n j u r y c a s e , I d i d n o t w a n t t o p u r s u e a n a p p e a l o f m y c l a i m a g a i n s t t h e F a r m e r s .

6 . I r e t a i n e d M a r y L e e c h o n J a n u a r y 1 4 , 1 9 9 8 t o r e p r e s e n t m e i n t h i s a c t i o n .

7 .

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Starks v. Durham, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/starks-v-durham-tennctapp-1999.