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Monday, September 28, 2015

New Health Care Liability Action Opinion: Tenn. Code Ann. sec. 20-1-119 and Venue

The Tennessee Court of Appeals released its opinion today in Barrett v. Chesney, No. W2014-01921-COA-R9-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 28, 2015).  The summary from the opinion states as follows:
This interlocutory appeal arises from a health care liability action and concerns the question of proper venue. Plaintiff filed her original lawsuit in Shelby County against the Appellants, a pathology group located in Shelby County. Appellants answered the complaint and raised, as an affirmative defense, the comparative negligence of Appellees, plaintiff‟s primary care physician and his employer, who are residents of Sumner County. Plaintiff then moved, under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 20-1-119, for leave to amend her complaint to add the Sumner County residents to the lawsuit. Leave was granted, and plaintiff filed an amended complaint under Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 15.01. Appellees answered the complaint and averred that venue was improper in Shelby County under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 20-4-101(b). Appellees asked for dismissal of the lawsuit; however, rather than dismissing the lawsuit, the Shelby County court transferred the case to Sumner County. Appellants appeal. We affirm and remand.
Here is a link to the opinion:

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