Tennessee Legal News Articles & Interviews

Nashville, TN News anchor Demetria Kalodimos, who had repeatedly been named the Best Local Reporter and Best Local TV News Personality by the readers of the Nashville Scene, was abruptly fired by WSMV, Channel 4 on December 4, 2017. On November 27, 2018, she filed an employment lawsuit in the Middle District of Tennessee, alleging violations of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Tennessee Human Rights Act and Disability Act and Tennessee common law. Allegations concerning violations of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 are expected to follow.

Hermitage, TN On October 19, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that Tennessee contractor, Vasquez Drywall, had agreed to pay $103,300 in back wages to workers misclassified as independent contractors and a $2,424 civil penalty. Employment misclassification is rampant in the construction industry in Tennessee and throughout the country. The practice deprives employees of overtime pay, workers compensation insurance and basic workplace safety protections. Undocumented construction workers are particularly at risk because they are unlikely to bring lawsuits or seek other enforcement action to preserve their rights.

Nashville, TN: Although the Tennessee economy is doing well with record low unemployment rates, employers in the hospitality industry are having a difficult time attracting workers due to the state’s minimum wage, which is also a common Tennessee labor law issue.

Nashville, TN: The Ninth Circuit gave the green light last month for bartenders and servers to sue restaurants--including a Tennessee based chain-- for allegedly underpaying them regarding tipping, a violation of the federal and Tennessee labor law. The cases were consolidated on appeal as Marsh v. J. Alexander’s and remanded for further proceedings.

Nashville, TN: Over the past several years Tennessee has experienced a number of Tennessee labor lawsuits by employees demanding compensation for “donning and doffing” (putting on and taking off) clothing such as uniforms and protective gear before and after their shift.

Philadelphia, PA On September 19, 2017, six burn victims filed a lawsuit against Tristar Products, Inc. in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. They claimed they were hurt when their Tristar pressure cooker’s advertised “Built-In Safety Features” failed. All of the incidents cited in In Re: Kenneth Christian, et al. v. Tristar Products Inc. involve the same pressure cooker, Model No. PPC-790, but many Tristar products have been implicated in similar pressure cooker explosions. The litigation can be expected to grow.

Washington, DC: A drug indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes already carries warnings for compelling adverse reactions including a heightened risk for lower limb amputations, kidney failure, diabetic ketoacidosis and cardiovascular injuries. To that end, the FDA warns of fracture risk with Invokana and Invokamet. Yet in spite of such serious side effects associated with Invokana (canagliflozin) and Invokamet (canagliflozin and metformin), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, last year an expanded indication for Invokamet.

Trenton, NJ: A New Jersey man has filed a federal lawsuit against drug manufacturers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, claiming he suffered injuries after taking the diabetes drug Saxagliptin, sold under the brand names Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR.

Chattanooga, TN: If you receive disability benefits from the health insurance provider Unum , you might want to seek legal advice if and when they send you a “Suspension of Benefits” letter: it is likely another bad faith tactic to deny your benefits altogether.

Dallas, TX It was an alert physician who first noticed signs and symptoms of lead poisoning in some of her patients in Flint, Michigan. It was soon discovered water from the Flint River had corroded aging pipes causing lead to leach into the city’s water supply. Dangerous amounts of lead were slowing building up in the blood streams of Flint residents and causing health problems due to lead exposure.