Did you slip, trip, or fall on someone else’s property and sustain an injury? Attorney Chris Beavers answers your questions about premises liability claims. What do I do if I’m injured on another person’s property? What can you do if you're injured on another person's property? Well, the first thing to do is to determine why you were injured. If you were injured due to someone else's negligence or due to the actions of someone [...]
Remote working, also called telecommuting, has exploded in popularity in recent years. Many companies – large and small – are allowing their employees to work remotely from home, either full-time or part-time. Workers’ compensation laws in Tennessee cover employees who work remotely and suffer an injury on-the-job. If you have sustained an injury as a telecommuter, you are likely eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. However, as a remote employee, you must be able to prove the [...]
What exactly is an arraignment? An arraignment is generally the first step in the criminal process. Sometimes you'll hear it referred to as an initial appearance. It is where you're brought before a neutral, detached magistrate and apprised of your Constitutional rights. That is the right to remain silent and the right to have counsel of your choice, and/or counsel appointed for you. When we talk about counsel, we're talking about folks like me, T. [...]
The dangerous effects of e-cigs have been underreported and misjudged until recently. However, this is starting to change. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently published information indicating that the use of these devices resulted in more than 2,000 hospitalizations associated with burn and explosion injuries from 2015 to 2017. In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a consumer warning about the extreme dangers of exploding vape pens, although these occurrences are rare. The [...]
Going to trial in criminal cases Do I always have the right to have my case tried before a jury? Fortunately, in the United States, we have a process that affords rights to the criminal defendant. Those rights have been secured by the United States Constitution and ere in East Tennessee, by the Tennessee Constitution, which is basically the governing body of law for the state of Tennessee. Those inalienable rights give you the right [...]
Traditionally, law enforcement officials were the only individuals who had access to breathalyzer devices that are supposed to measure a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). However, these devices are now available to anyone. Although some degree of accuracy may be achieved with these DIY breathalyzers, there also serious questions as to the reliability of the readings they can produce. In addition, there are other potential negative consequences of relying on these devices to keep you out [...]
Texting or distracted driving can lead to accidents. It can also to lead to liability, in particular if you're using any type of a mobile device – you can call it texting, you can call it Facebook, you can call it Snapchat, Instagram – however you use that device, if it distracts your ability to maintain a lookout in the direction in which you are driving then you're likely going to have a problem. Also [...]
So your 18-year-old son got a simple possession of marijuana charge. It's anything but simple. Marijuana in the state of Tennessee is illegal. We're not the "just say no" police; we're the reality folks that help you in this time of need. A marijuana charge has ramifications outside of the criminal system, including but not limited to an effect on an ability to get student loans, and to qualify for financial aid packages in the [...]
We have no control over the actions of other drivers, passengers, traffic or road conditions. As a result, auto accidents unfortunately can and do happen, leading to a wide variety of minor and major injuries. One such trauma which often results from auto accidents is whiplash. Although whiplash isn’t a visible physical injury, it can cause a patient long-term pain and discomfort. What is whiplash? Also known as neck strain or neck sprain, whiplash is a [...]
A lot of times, people call and they ask what percentage of their income they have to pay as child support. In the state of Tennessee, the law changed several years ago, and it's no longer a percentage of your income, but rather it's done on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, wherein certain factors are plugged in; and based on those numbers, there's a formula in that spreadsheet, and it tells you how much the child [...]
