It’s pretty common knowledge: things are supposed to work. We use all sorts of things every day, invented for our convenience and ease, and we are meant to rely on those things to actually do their jobs. Of course, the reality is a bit different. Things are not, in fact, created by some perfect Thing Machine to never have design flaws or errors, but by people. People can make so many, many errors with so many, [...]
It’s a general presumption that people should know what activities are considered crimes in Tennessee. You shouldn’t steal. If you hit someone, you’ll probably be arrested. If you drive over the speed limit, you’ll be ticketed. If you sell drugs, you’re breaking the law. It’s normally not an excuse to say, “But Your Honor, I thought what I was doing was legal.” Still, there are times that even a judge might be surprised that something is [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we all live in many ways. One of those ways is when criminal defendants have their day in court. Due to the danger of contracting the disease, before vaccinations, many trials were postponed. The delay affected jury trials throughout the United States. While the delays are understandable because of public safety concerns, the delays are still preventing defendants from having their day in court. Worse, many defendants who can’t afford [...]
It has taken almost two years, but Banks & Jones is proud to announce that the court case against Loudon County Commissioner Julia Hurley has finally been heard, and the case was dismissed, allowing Commissioner Hurley to remain in her role serving the good people of District 2. T. Scott Jones, who represented Commissioner Hurley, spoke with News 10 about why the decision was the right one. "The judge applied common sense legal reasoning," said T. [...]
In some car accidents and truck accidents, it may be clear who caused the wreck. There are many accidents, though, where it’s not clear how the accident occurred or who is responsible. In some cases, both drivers may be partially at fault – though the driver that struck you was much more negligent. In multiple-car accidents, it’s often unclear how the chain reaction of collisions occurred. When the way the accident happened isn’t clear or when [...]
In February 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments involving the need for the police to obtain warrants to enter the home of people suspected of having committed a misdemeanor or minor crime. The Court had previously ruled that the police can enter a home of felons who flee. The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution provides that people are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures – and that the police [...]
No matter how long you’ve been driving, the chances are good you’ve seen more than one intersection accident, usually around a shopping plaza or on a rural road. Intersection collisions happen pretty often, and the force of the impact can easily lead to the death of a driver, passenger, pedestrian, cyclist, or motorcycle rider. Knoxville drivers know all about dangerous intersections. According to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study, “eastbound Western Avenue (SR 62) at [...]
No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, including teenagers. You can teach them right from wrong all you want, and they might still make the wrong decision when it comes to underage drinking and driving. As dangerous as this is, many teens still decide to drink at parties and then drive home. If your teen is involved in an accident or pulled over by a police officer after drinking, the teen will be arrested on the [...]
The other side is calling, and you've been involved in an accident with a truck driving company. Understand that in the state of Tennessee, only one party needs to know that a call is being recorded. I can assure you, when you hear these words, "These calls are being recorded for quality assurance purposes," it's not necessarily quality assurance. It's recorded for a business purpose. That is, to preserve any statement that you made that [...]
Being arrested for DUI in Tennessee comes with strict penalties. Whether this is your first arrest or you’ve been arrested for DUI before, you will face automatic jail time for the crime. There are a host of mitigating factors that go into determining the exact amount of time you must spend in jail, how much you will have to pay in fines, and how long you will lose your license. Those factors include the following: Whether [...]
