STATE LAW – TENNESSEE LIBRARY – GUIDE 23
Tennessee Auto Insurance & Crash Law Case Authority Library
This issue-organized authority index collects primary Tennessee statutes and leading Supreme Court decisions for automobile insurance and crash-law research.
Coverage authorities
Use §56-7-1201, Kiser, Hinds and the Clark/Tata interpretation line for UM/UIM, multiple policies and policy construction. Always verify the current statute and the accident-date contract.
Claims, defense and settlement authorities
Section 56-7-105, Drexel Chemical and Johnson v. Tennessee Farmers anchor statutory bad faith, duty to defend and excess-settlement analysis. Parveen supplies the modern insurance-agent procurement rule.
Fault, work and evidence authorities
McIntyre controls modified comparative fault; §55-10-311 and the Tennessee scope-of-employment line guide employer/vehicle presumptions; Tatham supplies the spoliation-sanctions framework.
Damages, fatal-claim and lien authorities
Sections 29-39-102 and -104, McClay/Yebuah, §§20-5-106 and -113, and the hospital-lien statutes/Franks line form the core damages, wrongful-death and lien research set. Public Chapters 1077 and 1011 should remain on the future-law watch list for their later effective dates.
Current-law review: October 4, 2026. Verify the accident-date policy, current primary authority, later case treatment, and claim-specific deadlines before legal reliance.
PUBLIC-INTEREST LEGAL EDUCATION
VictimsGuide does not provide legal services or create an attorney-client relationship. Insurance requirements, deadlines, remedies and controlling authority can change. Verify current primary authority, policy language and the law applicable to the particular event before legal reliance.
Authorities and source notes
- Kiser v. Wolfe — 353 S.W.3d 741 (Tenn. 2011)
- Hinds v. Oliver — 704 S.W.3d 772 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2024)
- Clark v. Sputniks, LLC / Tata v. Nichols — Tennessee insurance-contract interpretation — 368 S.W.3d 431 (Tenn. 2012); 848 S.W.2d 649 (Tenn. 1993)
- Parveen v. ACG South Insurance Agency, LLC — 613 S.W.3d 113 (Tenn. 2020)
- Drexel Chemical Co. v. Bituminous Insurance Co. — 933 S.W.2d 471 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996)
- Johnson v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. — 205 S.W.3d 365 (Tenn. 2006)
- Lambright v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh — M2003-02133-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Feb. 3, 2005)
- Hamrick / Tennessee Farmers Mutual — Tennessee scope-of-employment line — Hamrick v. Spring City Motor Co., 708 S.W.2d 383 (Tenn. 1986); Tenn. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co. v. American Mut. Liab. Ins. Co., 840 S.W.2d 933 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1992)
- McIntyre v. Balentine — 833 S.W.2d 52 (Tenn. 1992)
- Tatham v. Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. — 473 S.W.3d 734 (Tenn. 2015)
- McClay / Yebuah — Tennessee noneconomic-damages cap authorities — McClay v. Airport Mgmt. Servs., LLC, 596 S.W.3d 686 (Tenn. 2020); Yebuah v. Ctr. for Urological Treatment, PLC, 624 S.W.3d 481 (Tenn. 2021)
- Franks v. Sykes — 600 S.W.3d 908 (Tenn. 2020)
Registry authority mapping and cited propositions reviewed October 4, 2026. Canonical source preservation and formal subsequent-history review remain maintenance items where noted.
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