Tennessee Personal Injury Settlement Amounts (2026 Updates)

This page will look at the trial and settlement value of personal injury cases in Tennessee. We will also look at key points of Tennessee law on personal injury and tort cases.

If you were hurt in Tennessee and think you may have a personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, medical malpractice, or other tort claim, call our lawyers today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation, and you do not owe us a fee unless we get compensation for you.

Tennessee Personal Injury Law

Below is an outline of some of the main laws in Tennessee impacting personal injury lawsuits, including the statute of limitations.

Proving Negligence in Tennessee

A Tennessee plaintiff alleging a negligence claim must establish the following elements: (1) that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff; (2) that the defendant’s conduct was below the applicable standard of care such that the defendant breached that duty; (3) that the plaintiff suffered an injury or loss; (4) cause in fact; and (5) proximate or legal cause.

Tennessee Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Cases

Tennessee has a brutally unfair deadline to file a tort claim. Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 establishes a one-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases. Additionally, the Tennessee Health Care Liability Act imposes a general one-year limitations period for filing health care liability claims. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-20-305(b), claims brought under the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act must be filed within 12 months of the date the cause of action arises. These government claims also have special notice and procedural pitfalls and should not be treated like ordinary auto claims.

The biggest exception to this unfair statute of limitations is the “discovery rule.” If you do not discover your injury within the usual one-year deadline, Tennessee law gives you one year from the date you actually find out about it to file a claim (Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-26-116(a)(2)). This is called the “discovery rule,” and it applies when you realize, or should have reasonably realized, that you were hurt by someone’s wrongful actions and know who caused the harm.

But it saves fewer cases than you might think. Courts often decide “should have known” differently than you might. The rule does not pause the clock just because you do not know the full extent of your injuries, the exact details of your legal claim, or every fact about what happened. The court looks at whether you had enough information to suspect that you might have a claim, even if you did not know everything.

Many plaintiffs believe they fall under this exception, but courts frequently find that they should have discovered their injury sooner. This means they lose their case because the deadline to file has already passed. If you think this exception might apply to you, it is critical to act quickly and consult an attorney to avoid missing the statute of limitations.

Tennessee also has a statute of repose in medical malpractice lawsuits, which acts as an absolute deadline. This law provides that no case can be filed more than three years after the negligent act or omission, regardless of when the injury is discovered. The only exception to this three-year statute of repose is for fraudulent concealment. In such cases, a plaintiff may have up to one year from the date of discovering the fraud to file the lawsuit.

Tennessee has a Saving Statute, codified in Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-105, which allows a plaintiff to refile a lawsuit within one year after it has been dismissed for reasons other than a judgment on the merits, even if the original statute of limitations has expired. However, the 120-day extension provided under 29-26-121(c), intended to extend the statute of limitations and statute of repose in health care liability cases, does not apply to the one-year refiling period under the Saving Statute.

Tennessee Statute of Limitations Chart

Tennessee might have the most ridiculous personal injury deadlines in the country. Most injury claims have a one-year deadline, but medical malpractice, government claims, product liability, and sex abuse claims have special rules.

Type of Tennessee Claim	Deadline	What Plaintiffs Need to Know	Key Statute
General Personal Injury	1 Year	Most car accident, premises liability, dog bite, and ordinary negligence claims must be filed within one year after the claim accrues.	§ 28-3-104
Personal Injury From Criminal Conduct	Up to 2 Years	Certain civil injury claims may be subject to a 2-year limitation period if criminal charges are brought within 1 year and the civil claim is against the prosecuted party.	§ 28-3-104
Medical Malpractice or Health Care Liability	1 Year	The deadline is generally one year. If the injury is not discovered within that year, the plaintiff generally has one year from discovery, but a three-year statute of repose usually applies.	§ 29-26-116
Medical Malpractice Pre Suit Notice	60 Days Notice	Plaintiffs must give written pre suit notice at least 60 days before filing. Proper notice can extend the statute of limitations and repose by 120 days.	§ 29-26-121
Government Tort Claims	12 Months	Claims under the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act must be filed within 12 months after the cause of action arises. These cases have special procedural traps.	§ 29-20-305
Wrongful Death and Survival Claims	Usually 1 Year	Tennessee wrongful death claims are derivative of the decedent’s injury claim, so the deadline can be more complicated than simply counting one year from death.	§ 28-3-104
Product Liability	Usually 1 Year	Product injury claims usually follow the personal injury deadline, but Tennessee also has outside limits, including six years from injury and generally ten years from first purchase for use or consumption.	§ 29-28-103
Child Sexual Abuse Before July 1, 2019	3 Years From Discovery	For abuse before July 1, 2019, if the injury or illness was not discovered at the time of abuse, the claim must generally be filed within three years from discovery.	§ 28-3-116
Child Sexual Abuse From July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2025	Age 33 or 3 Years From Discovery	For abuse occurring on or after July 1, 2019, but before July 1, 2025, the deadline is generally the later of 15 years after turning 18 or three years from discovery.	§ 28-3-116
Child Sexual Abuse On or After July 1, 2025	Age 48 or 3 Years From Discovery	For abuse occurring on or after July 1, 2025, the deadline is generally the later of 30 years after turning 18 or three years from discovery.	§ 28-3-116
Adult Sexual Assault	3 or 5 Years	For sexual assault in Tennessee when the injured person was 18 or older, the law allows only three years if law enforcement was not notified and five years if law enforcement was notified.	§ 28-3-118
Tennessee Saving Statute	1 Year to Refile	If a case is dismissed for reasons other than a judgment on the merits, Tennessee may allow refiling within one year, but this rule has traps, especially in medical malpractice lawsuits.	§ 28-1-105

This chart is a general guide. Tennessee deadlines can change based on discovery, criminal charges, pre-suit notice, fraudulent concealment, government defendants, repose periods, the date of abuse, and whether the claim is brought against the perpetrator or a third party. The safest rule is to call a Tennessee personal injury lawyer to investigate immediately.

Tennessee Follows Modified Comparative Fault

Tennessee uses a modified comparative fault system, and it can make a huge difference in the value of a personal injury case. If the defense claims the injured person was partly responsible for the accident, the jury is asked to assign fault by percentage. Any recovery is then reduced by the plaintiff’s share of fault.

So if a jury finds that a plaintiff suffered $1,000,000 in damages but was 20 percent responsible, the verdict drops to $800,000.

The danger for plaintiffs is Tennessee’s 50 percent cutoff. A plaintiff can recover only if the plaintiff is found to be less than 50 percent at fault. At 50 percent fault, the case is lost completely. That creates a brutal dividing line. A plaintiff who is 49 percent responsible still gets 51 percent of the damages. A plaintiff who is 50 percent responsible gets nothing.

This is why comparative fault is such a common defense strategy in Tennessee injury cases. The defendant does not always need to convince the jury that the plaintiff caused the accident. Sometimes the defense only needs to push enough blame onto the plaintiff to reduce the verdict or, if it can reach the 50 percent mark, wipe out the claim entirely.

Tennessee Damage Caps For Personal Injury Cases

Underlying many of the verdicts below is Tennessee’s statutory cap on non-economic damages. Tennessee law does not cap economic damages, such as past and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and future care costs. Those damages can be awarded in full if they are proven.

The main cap applies to non-economic damages, which include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and similar harms. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-39-102, non-economic damages are generally capped at $750,000 in most personal injury and health care liability cases.

That cap increases to $1 million when the plaintiff suffers a catastrophic injury or loss. Tennessee law defines catastrophic injury to include injuries such as spinal cord injuries resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia, amputation of two hands, two feet, or one of each, third-degree burns over a substantial portion of the body, or the wrongful death of a parent leaving surviving minor children.

Punitive damages are different. They are not governed by the non-economic damages cap in § 29-39-102. Tennessee has a separate punitive damages cap under Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-39-104. Punitive damages are generally capped at the greater of two times the total compensatory damages awarded or $500,000, subject to statutory exceptions.

So when evaluating a Tennessee personal injury verdict or settlement, you have to separate the categories of damages. Medical bills and lost wages are economic damages and are not capped. Pain and suffering is non-economic damage and is usually capped. Punitive damages are subject to their own separate cap. These caps can dramatically reduce a large jury verdict after trial, which is why Tennessee settlement value often depends not just on what a jury might award, but on what the law will allow the plaintiff to actually collect.

Tennessee Wrongful Death and Survival Actions

Tennessee wrongful death law is a little different from what many people expect. A wrongful death lawsuit is not treated as a brand-new claim created only for the surviving family members. Instead, Tennessee law treats the claim as the continued existence of the injury claim the deceased person would have had if he or she had survived. That right of action passes to the proper statutory beneficiaries after death.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has explained that Tennessee’s wrongful death statute does not create a new and independent cause of action for survivors. It preserves and passes forward the decedent’s own right of action. So the wrongful death claim is derivative of the decedent’s claim, which can affect issues such as arbitration agreements, defenses, comparative fault, and other limits that could have applied to the decedent’s case.

At the same time, Tennessee’s wrongful death system is broader than a traditional survival action. The Supreme Court described Tennessee’s wrongful death scheme as a “hybrid.” It resembles a survival statute because the claim comes from the decedent’s own injury claim. But it also resembles a pure wrongful death statute because damages can include both what the decedent could have recovered and the losses suffered by the surviving beneficiaries because of the death.

What are the damages? A Tennessee wrongful death lawsuit may include damages for the decedent’s medical expenses, funeral expenses, conscious pain and suffering before death, lost earning capacity, and the value of the decedent’s life. The claim may also include damages for the surviving family members’ loss of companionship, guidance, care, society, and support. This is why Tennessee wrongful death cases can involve both survival-type damages and traditional wrongful death damages in the same lawsuit.

So Tennessee wrongful death claims are powerful because they allow recovery for both the harm suffered by the person who died and the harm suffered by the surviving family. But they are also derivative, meaning defendants may argue that the claim is subject to defenses or agreements that would have applied to the decedent. That is why identifying the proper beneficiaries, preserving evidence, reviewing any arbitration agreement or release, and filing before the deadline are critical in Tennessee death cases.

Tennessee Workers’ Compensation and Job Injury Claims

Work injuries in Tennessee are usually handled first through the workers’ compensation system. Workers’ compensation is different from a personal injury lawsuit. In a workers compensation claim, the injured employee does not have to prove that the employer was negligent. If the injury arose out of and in the course of employment, the worker is entitled to medical treatment, wage replacement benefits, and disability benefits.

But there is a tradeoff. Like most states, Tennessee workers’ compensation benefits do not include pain and suffering damages. In a regular personal injury lawsuit, pain and suffering is the biggest part of the claim. They also do not usually allow the injured worker to sue the employer in a regular personal injury lawsuit. This is called the exclusive remedy rule. In most cases, workers compensation is the employee’s exclusive remedy against the employer for an injury that happened on the job. That stings when your injuries are caused by your employer’s negligence.

So while many injured workers assume that a serious workplace injury automatically creates a personal injury lawsuit against the employer, it almost invariably does not. If a warehouse worker hurts his back lifting equipment, a nurse is injured moving a patient, or a construction worker is hurt because of a co-worker’s mistake, the claim will usually be handled through workers’ compensation, not a negligence lawsuit against the employer.

But… a work injury can still involve a separate third-party lawsuit. Workers’ compensation may be the only claim against the employer, but it does not usually protect a negligent third party. If a delivery driver is hit by another motorist, a construction worker is injured by a subcontractor, a factory worker is hurt by a defective machine, or an employee is injured on property controlled by someone other than the employer, there may be both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate personal injury lawsuit.

That third-party lawsuit can be very important because it may allow recovery for damages that workers’ compensation does not cover, including pain and suffering, full lost income, loss of enjoyment of life, and other damages available in a Tennessee personal injury case. But the workers’ compensation carrier may have a lien or credit against any third-party recovery for benefits it paid. So these cases need to be coordinated carefully.

What you want to walk away from this with is that workplace injury cases should not be dismissed as “just workers’ comp” without a full investigation. Many Tennessee job injury cases are limited to workers’ compensation. But some of the strongest injury cases involve a worker who was hurt on the job because of a negligent driver, unsafe property owner, defective product, subcontractor, or another third party outside the employment relationship.

Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Deadlines

There are important deadlines to file a workers’ compensation claim in Tennessee. Tennessee law generally requires an injured employee to give written notice of the work injury to the employer within 15 days after the accident, unless the employee has a reasonable excuse for not giving notice sooner. A workers’ compensation claim can also be barred if the proper petition is not filed on time. If no benefits have been paid, the worker generally must file a petition for benefit determination within one year after the accident. If the employer or insurer has voluntarily paid benefits, the deadline may run from the later of the last authorized treatment or the date the employer stopped paying compensation benefits.

Expert Certificate Required for Medical Malpractice (and Nursing Home) Lawsuits

In Tennessee, before filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, plaintiffs are required by law to provide a “certificate of good faith” under Tennessee Code Annotated § 29-26-122. This legal hoop requires the plaintiff’s lawyer to certify that a qualified medical expert has reviewed the medical records and that there is a legitimate basis for a claim. Specifically, the expert support must address:

The applicable standard of care for the defendant healthcare provider.
A breach of that standard of care by the provider.
A direct link between the breach and the plaintiff’s injuries.

The certificate of good faith must be filed with the initial complaint or within a court-allowed extension. If it is not filed, the case can be dismissed outright, and the plaintiff could even be ordered to pay the defendant’s legal fees. While the law allows exceptions in rare cases of “extraordinary cause,” they are narrowly construed.

On its face, the certificate of good faith aims to weed out frivolous lawsuits, but it creates real obstacles for injured patients seeking justice. First, it forces plaintiffs to locate and pay for a qualified expert before filing their case, often costing thousands of dollars, an expense that can prevent many valid claims from ever being brought. Second, it shifts the initial burden to plaintiffs before they even have the opportunity to conduct discovery or fully understand what went wrong in their care.

Pre-Suit Notice Required in Tennessee Medical Malpractice Cases

Tennessee medical malpractice cases have another procedural hurdle before a lawsuit can be filed. In addition to the certificate of good faith, Tennessee law requires a plaintiff to give written pre-suit notice to each health care provider who will be named as a defendant at least 60 days before filing a health care liability lawsuit.

This notice requirement is a trap in a state that already makes it difficult to file medical malpractice claims. The notice must include specific information, including the patient’s name and date of birth, the claimant’s information, the attorney’s information if a lawyer is sending the notice, a list of all providers receiving notice, and a HIPAA-compliant medical authorization that allows the providers to obtain relevant medical records from each other.

If proper pre-suit notice is given, Tennessee law can extend the statute of limitations and statute of repose by 120 days. But plaintiffs should not assume this extension automatically saves the case. Tennessee courts have taken these notice requirements seriously, and defects in the notice package, especially defective medical authorizations, can create statute of limitations problems.

So what you want to keep in mind is that medical malpractice lawsuits in Tennessee cannot be handled like ordinary personal injury lawsuits. The one-year deadline is already unforgiving. The pre-suit notice requirement, certificate of good faith, medical authorization rules, and expert review requirement make early investigation critical.

Tennessee Nursing Home Lawsuits

Nursing home lawsuits in Tennessee usually involve claims that a facility failed to provide the basic care, supervision, staffing, and medical attention that vulnerable residents need. These cases are often brought after serious injuries such as falls, broken hips, pressure sores, dehydration, malnutrition, medication errors, infections, choking, wandering or elopement, assaults by other residents, or wrongful death.

The core allegation in almost every Tennessee nursing home lawsuit is that the resident was known to be vulnerable, the facility knew or should have known what precautions were needed, and the nursing home failed to take reasonable steps to protect the resident. There are a host of things that can go wrong. That failure may involve understaffing, poor training, ignored care plans, failure to monitor a high-risk resident, failure to prevent falls, failure to reposition a bedbound resident, failure to timely call a doctor, or failure to send the resident to the hospital when the warning signs were obvious.

Tennessee nursing home lawsuits are treated as health care liability claims. So they are subject to the statute of limitations and special procedural requirements we just talked about above. A plaintiff needs to send pre-suit notice to the nursing home and other health care defendants at least 60 days before filing suit if the issue is a breach of the standard of care. In many cases, the plaintiff must also file a certificate of good faith showing that a qualified expert has reviewed the claim and supports the theory that the defendant breached the standard of care.

But not every nursing home injury claim is the same. Some cases involve medical or nursing judgment and clearly require expert testimony. Other cases may involve ordinary negligence that a jury can understand without an expert, such as a broken chair, an unsafe walkway, or a basic failure to remove an obvious hazard. Tennessee courts have recognized that some nursing facility negligence claims may fall within common knowledge. Still, plaintiffs should not assume they can avoid the health care liability requirements. These cases need to be evaluated carefully at the beginning.

Tennessee nursing home residents also have statutory rights. Residents have the right to privacy, dignity, communication, visitation, appropriate care, and protection from unsafe conditions. Violations of resident rights can be important evidence in a civil case, especially when the facility’s own records show repeated warnings, prior falls, staffing problems, pressure ulcer risks, medication mistakes, or care plan violations.

Nursing home neglect can also overlap with Tennessee laws protecting elderly and vulnerable adults. Tennessee law recognizes criminal offenses for abuse or neglect of elderly or vulnerable adults, including knowingly neglecting an elderly or vulnerable adult in a way that adversely affects health or welfare. A civil nursing home lawsuit is separate from any criminal investigation, but the same facts may matter in both settings.

The damages in a Tennessee nursing home lawsuit depend on the injury and the proof. A claim may include medical bills, hospitalization costs, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disability, disfigurement, and, in fatal cases, wrongful death damages. Tennessee’s non-economic damages cap may limit pain and suffering damages in many cases, but economic damages, such as medical expenses, are not capped if they are proven.

Families often call after they see a sudden decline in a nursing home resident’s condition. Warning signs can include unexplained bruising, repeated falls, bedsores, weight loss, dehydration, infection, poor hygiene, overmedication, fearfulness, or a facility that gives vague or changing explanations about what happened. The earlier these cases are investigated, the better the chance of preserving records, photographs, witness accounts, care plans, staffing records, and surveillance footage.

Tennessee Dog Bite Law

Tennessee’s dog bite law imposes a duty on dog owners to keep their dogs under reasonable control and to keep them from running at large. If an owner breaches that duty, the owner can be held liable for injuries caused by the dog when the injured person is in a public place or lawfully on private property other than the dog owner’s residential, farm, or other noncommercial property, regardless of whether the dog had previously shown dangerous tendencies (Tenn. Code Ann. § 44-8-413(a)(1)).

However, there are important exceptions to this strict liability rule. One major exception is the residential property rule. If a dog injures someone while the person is on the owner’s residential property, the injured person must prove that the owner knew or should have known that the dog was dangerous.

The best way to think about it is that strict liability generally applies for dog attacks in public spaces and many non-owner private property settings, but on residential property, the victim must show that the owner had prior knowledge of the dog’s dangerous tendencies.

Tennessee Product Liability Lawsuits

Claims relating to defective or dangerous products that cause injury or harm to consumers are governed by Tennessee product liability law. The applicable law for product liability claims in Tennessee is derived from a combination of both case law and statutory law.

Under Tennessee law, a manufacturer or seller of a product can be held liable if that product is defective and that defect causes injuries or harm.

There are a number of national mass torts or “class actions” that involve Tennessee plaintiffs, including claims our law firm is handling across the country:

Video Game Addiction Lawsuit: Video game addiction lawsuits accuse major gaming companies of building games in ways that encourage excessive and compulsive play, particularly among children and teenagers. Plaintiffs allege that features such as reward systems, microtransactions, loot boxes, social pressure, and constant engagement mechanics can contribute to anxiety, depression, sleep problems, academic struggles, and other mental health injuries.
Depo-Provera Lawsuits: Depo-Provera lawsuits allege that women who used the injectable birth control for extended periods faced an increased risk of developing meningioma brain tumors. The lawsuits claim that patients who received repeated injections over many years were not properly warned about the potential tumor risk. Many Tennessee women have used this form of birth control. If these cases get past a few procedural hurdles as expected, these cases are expected to see large settlements.
Paraquat Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuits: Paraquat lawsuits claim that exposure to the widely used commercial herbicide may raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Farmers, agricultural workers, and others allege they were exposed to Paraquat without adequate warnings about its possible neurological dangers. There is a real chance these lawsuits settle in 2026.
Internal Bra Mesh Lawsuit: Internal bra mesh lawsuits are new claims that focus on mesh products used in breast reconstruction, breast lifts, breast reductions, and similar procedures. Plaintiffs allege that some products were not sufficiently studied for long-term placement in breast tissue and may cause complications such as infection, chronic pain, inflammation, scarring, poor healing, tissue injury, mesh migration, and the need for revision surgery.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuit: Hair relaxer lawsuits allege that prolonged use of chemical hair straightening products may be linked to uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine fibroids, and other hormone-related conditions. Plaintiffs claim manufacturers marketed these products heavily to Black women while failing to disclose risks associated with potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawsuit: Spinal cord stimulator lawsuits involve implanted devices used to treat chronic back, neck, and nerve pain. Plaintiffs allege that certain devices malfunctioned or caused complications, including painful electrical shocks, burning sensations, infections, lead migration, device failure, and revision or removal surgery. The claims center on alleged defects and inadequate warnings about device risks.
Roundup Cancer Lawsuits: Roundup cancer lawsuits have continued for years, with plaintiffs alleging that exposure to chemicals in the popular weedkiller is linked to certain cancers. The claims are based on scientific evidence, plaintiffs say, that connects Roundup use to cancer risk.
Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit: Vaginal mesh lawsuits involve surgical mesh products used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. Plaintiffs allege these implants caused injuries such as mesh erosion, pelvic pain, infection, organ perforation, painful intercourse, and multiple revision surgeries. The lawsuits contend that manufacturers failed to adequately warn patients and physicians about long-term risks. This litigation, which has been going on forever, has impacted many women in Tennessee.
Olympus Scope Infection Lawsuit: Olympus duodenoscope lawsuits allege that certain scopes used in ERCP procedures exposed patients to serious infection risks because the devices were difficult to completely clean and sterilize. Plaintiffs claim Olympus was aware of these risks but did not provide adequate warnings to hospitals, physicians, or patients.
Uber Sex Abuse Lawsuit: Uber is now facing a growing tide of civil lawsuits claiming that rideshare passengers were sexually assaulted by drivers because Uber (and Lyft) failed to do adequate background screening.

Settlement Payouts in Tennessee Injury Cases

The settlement payout you get in Tennessee will depend on the injuries. So you cannot determine settlement compensation by punching your medical bill and lost wages into a settlement calculator. Still, there is a path to better understand the range of compensation you might receive.

What Is the Average Personal Injury Verdict in Tennessee?

The average personal injury verdict - as opposed to the median - in Tennessee is $455,802. This includes a $44,000,000 verdict for a quadriplegic child in a minivan accident. This and other large verdicts distort the average.

What Is the Median Personal Injury Verdict in Tennessee?

The median award in personal injury cases in Tennessee that results in a verdict is $18,650.

How Often Do Tennessee Personal Injury Victims Win at Trial?

Tennessee plaintiffs recover damages in 61 percent of personal injury cases that go to trial, eight percent higher than the national average.

Tennessee Personal Injury Verdicts

According to Jury Verdict Research, the average personal injury jury verdict in Tennessee is $455,802. Using the median verdict, which deflates the impact of large verdicts, the number falls to $18,650.

2025, Tennessee: $37,316 Settlement. A landscaper was working in a Davidson County homeowner’s backyard when the homeowner’s dog allegedly charged out of the house and bit him on the right hand. The plaintiff alleged the homeowner left the back door open, failed to control the dog, and knew or should have known the dog had aggressive tendencies and a history of biting. His wife brought a loss of consortium claim. The defense argued comparative fault and failure to mitigate damages. The court dismissed the punitive damages claim but allowed the negligence-related claims to proceed. The case settled for $37,316, including $34,556 for past medical expenses and $2,760 for lost wages. Because liability was apportioned 51 percent to the defendant and 49 percent to the plaintiff, the net recovery was reduced to $19,031.
2025, Tennessee: $11,056,770 Verdict. This is a classic lap chole case and our lawyers see a lot of these cases. A woman in her 30s alleged medical negligence after a laparoscopic gallbladder surgery led to a transected common bile duct, delayed recognition of the injury, severe complications, and a later complex repair surgery at Vanderbilt. The plaintiff claimed she was left with permanent abdominal problems and would need lifetime care. A Knox County jury awarded $11,056,770, including $7.5 million in non-economic damages, though the report notes those non-economic damages were reduced to $750,000 under Tennessee’s damages cap.
2025, Tennessee: $1,725,660 Bench Verdict. Two plaintiffs were seriously injured when a Memphis Light, Gas & Water utility truck made a U-turn in front of their vehicle at a Memphis intersection. One plaintiff suffered a comminuted wrist fracture, femoral neck fracture, patellar fracture, broken collarbone, and months of impaired walking. The other plaintiff hit her head on the windshield, lost consciousness, suffered facial injuries and a lumbar fracture, and later underwent spinal fusion surgery. Following a Shelby County bench trial under the Governmental Tort Liability Act, the court awarded $898,303 to one plaintiff and $827,357 to the other, both reduced by 20 percent comparative fault.
2024, Tennessee $119,000 Verdict: The plaintiff was driving west near an intersection and was at a complete stop, attempting to turn left to head south with her left turn signal on, when the defendant allegedly collided into the rear of the plaintiff’s vehicle. The plaintiff reportedly incurred injuries, including traumatic brain injury and closed head injury. The verdict included $75,000 for pain and suffering and $34,000 for lost earnings.
2024, Tennessee $44,000 Verdict: The plaintiff was operating a motor vehicle southbound and stopped in a center turn lane, waiting to make a left-hand turn, when a motor vehicle operated by the defendant allegedly rear-ended the plaintiff’s vehicle. The plaintiff suffered injuries to her back and shoulder, along with headaches from a concussion. The defense disputed the extent of the injuries and took the case to trial.
2024, Tennessee $31,894,263 Verdict: The plaintiff sustained severe ankle and back injuries when her vehicle was struck by the truck. In the first phase of the trial, the plaintiff was awarded approximately $1.9 million for medical expenses, permanent injury, pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. In the second phase, the jury deliberated briefly before imposing a $30 million penalty on the concrete company for its reckless misconduct. Why the punitive damage award? The concrete truck was operated by a driver with a history of license suspensions and violations. This is a pretty big company, so there is a real chance of collecting on this verdict if this verdict survives on appeal.
2022, Tennessee: $40,000 Settlement. A minor suffered injuries to her head and left arm when the driver of her vehicle drank too much and caused a car crash. Defendants rarely want to go to trial with a drunk driver defendant, even if they believe it will be inadmissible at trial. So, not surprisingly, the defendant agreed to a settlement payout of $40,000 to resolve the claim.
2022, Tennessee: $59,245 Verdict. The defendant backed out of a rear private driveway and hit the plaintiff. The plaintiff suffered injuries to his neck, back, and hands. The defendant fled the scene. This did not come into evidence at trial because the defendant admitted responsibility. The only issue at trial was damages.
2021, Tennessee: $12,000,000 Verdict. On Christmas Day, a man was struck by a negligent driver and then further impacted by a semi-trailer whose driver was not paying attention. The severe crash resulted in the amputation of both of his legs and a slew of escalating medical bills. The insurance company representing the commercial truck driver initially offered only $50,000, which was significantly increased during trial proceedings and ultimately reached $600,000 during jury deliberations. His truck accident lawyers held out for more, and they were rewarded with a $12 million verdict.
2020, Tennessee: $13,566 Verdict: A woman was driving on I-24 in Nashville. She came to a stop because of a vehicle in front of her that changed lanes. The car behind her could not stop in time and rear-ended her vehicle. She initially denied pain and left the scene before the police arrived. About a week later, she sought chiropractic care, which she underwent for a month. She also underwent an MRI, which revealed an L5-S1 disc protrusion. The woman sought damages from the other driver. The jury awarded her $13,566.
2020, Tennessee: $16,921 Verdict. A married couple’s vehicle was rear-ended while stopped in traffic on Interstate 65. They received treatment at the ER on the same day. The wife suffered a soft-tissue strain, and the husband suffered wrist pain. They sued the other driver for negligence. The couple also filed suit against State Farm for UIM payments. A Davidson County jury awarded the couple a $16,921 verdict. The wife received $12,387 in medical expenses and $1,000 in pain and suffering, while the husband only received $3,284 in medical expenses.
2020, Tennessee: $23,500,000 Verdict. An intoxicated truck driver rear-ended a woman’s vehicle while stopped in traffic. The truck driver was an employee of a medical waste disposal company. At the time of the accident, his truck contained expired drugs. He admitted to ingesting some of them before the collision. The following day, the woman sought treatment at the ER for her right foot and shoulder pain. She would also be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and the aggravation of her pre-existing anxiety and depression. Her psychiatry expert testified that the woman would need psychiatric care for life. He also testified that the accident caused her to suffer from flashbacks, nightmares, and a fear of driving. The woman sued the truck driver for negligence. She also sued his employer for negligently hiring and supervising him. The medical waste disposal company denied liability, arguing that they had no reason to suspect that their employee was taking drugs while on the job. After a five-day trial, the Sullivan County court awarded the woman a $1,000,000 verdict. She also received $22,500,000 in a punitive damages minitrial. However, the court’s final judgment reduced her net award to $2,250,000 based on Tennessee’s recoverable damages cap.
2020, Tennessee: $20,000 Verdict. A 14-year-old girl suffered a shoulder injury while a passenger in her mother’s broadsided vehicle. She sought treatment with a pediatrician, a chiropractor, and an orthopedist. The girl also underwent physical therapy. She later underwent exploratory surgery on her shoulder. The girl’s parents sued the other driver, alleging that his negligence caused her injuries. The defense argued that her injuries were not permanent. The Hamilton County jury awarded a $20,000 verdict after a two-day trial. This comprised $15,000 in medical expenses and $5,000 in pain and suffering.
2020, Tennessee: $46,233 Verdict. A man’s vehicle was T-boned by a car that had departed from a gas station. He sought treatment a week later with a sports medicine doctor. The man was diagnosed with the aggravation of his pre-existing degenerative conditions. He continued to suffer from chronic neck pain. The man sued the other driver for negligence. His wife also filed a loss-of-consortium claim. The Davidson County jury awarded the man $7,733 in medical expenses, $4,000 in past pain and suffering, $12,000 in future pain and suffering, $2,500 in past loss of enjoyment of life, and $10,000 in future loss of enjoyment of life. His wife received $5,000 for her loss of consortium claim. The couple’s verdict totaled $46,233.
2020, Tennessee: $127,330 Verdict. A man’s Chevrolet G31 was struck by a vehicle entering his travel lane. He suffered unspecified personal injuries. He sued the other driver, alleging that she failed to keep a proper lookout, was unable to control her vehicle properly, and failed to avoid a collision. The other driver admitted negligence but argued that it did not cause the man’s injuries. A Davidson County jury awarded $127,330.
2020, Tennessee: $18,000 Verdict. A 38-year-old woman suffered a soft-tissue hip injury after another vehicle ran a red light and T-boned hers at an intersection. She sought treatment weeks later. An orthopedic surgeon eventually performed an arthroscopic labral repair and linked her injuries to the collision. The other driver contested the woman’s injuries, claiming she failed to immediately seek treatment and that she had a pre-existing hip condition. The Davidson County jury awarded her $18,000.
2019, Tennessee: $2,519,772 Verdict. A tractor-trailer struck a man’s vehicle while traveling on an interstate highway. The impact caused the vehicle to spin and hit two other vehicles. The man suffered a traumatic brain injury that caused dizziness, headaches, and vertigo. He alleged that the truck driver failed to yield the right-of-way, properly use his turn signals, and keep a proper lookout. The truck driver contested the man’s injuries. A Shelby County jury awarded a $2,519,772 verdict. This comprised $1,605,000 in pain and suffering, $400,000 in future medical expenses, $375,000 in future lost wages, $4,732 in other expenses, and $135,000 in loss of services. The final judgment reduced the net award to $1,529,772 due to Tennessee’s cap on pain-and-suffering awards.
2019, Tennessee: $632,909 Verdict. A motorcyclist and his passenger suffered unspecified personal injuries after a truck struck them on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge in Nashville. The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County owned the truck. The two sued both the truck driver and the Metro Government. They alleged that the truck driver was intoxicated at the time, had excessively sped, failed to keep a proper lookout, and failed to avoid a collision. The two alleged that the Metro Government was vicariously liable. A Davidson County jury determined that the truck driver was 13 percent responsible and the Metro Government was 87 percent liable. They awarded the motorcyclist $502,741 and awarded his passenger $130,168. The court later reduced the motorcyclist’s award to $300,000. They also determined the Metro Government was 100 percent liable.
Tennessee: $250,000 Settlement. A 16-year-old minor was a passenger in a single-vehicle accident that occurred along Highway 104. He suffered a left wrist fracture and facial lacerations. His parents sued the driver and the car’s owners for negligence. The parties settled for $250,000.
2016, Tennessee: $300,000 Verdict. A 51-year-old man died of respiratory arrest and an anoxic brain injury while hospitalized for kidney stones. His estate alleged that the staff administered excessive amounts of morphine via a patient-controlled analgesia pain pump. They allegedly doubled the dosage and failed to monitor his vitals, even during his injury. The Coffee County jury awarded the estate $300,000.
2016, Tennessee: $406,998 Verdict. A woman was a passenger in a vehicle. Their vehicle was struck by a vehicle owned by a refrigerator installation company that ran a red light. The woman suffered undisclosed injuries as a result. She sued both her driver and the driver of the other vehicle for failing to drive carefully. The Davidson County jury awarded $406,998 in damages. However, the final judgment was $223,848 based on fault apportionment.
2015, Tennessee: $551,717 Verdict. An apartment resident was operating her motorized wheelchair in the building’s parking lot. The cleaning lady entered the parking lot, made a sharp left turn, and struck the resident. The woman sued the cleaning lady for negligence and her employer, the apartment complex, for vicarious liability and for failing to prevent obstructed views for pedestrians. The apartment complex’s owner denied vicarious liability and contended that the plaintiff’s own negligence caused the accident. A jury found the cleaning lady 85 percent liable, the apartment complex 10 percent liable, and the resident 5 percent liable. They awarded $551,717 in damages, which was reduced 5% based on the fault findings.

We post verdicts and settlements like this because they shed light on the trial and settlement values of these cases. But, truth be told, they are as misleading as they are informative. First, let’s be fair. These are good verdicts. We are handpicking great victories. We had to step over many not-so-good verdicts to pull these. Second, every case is different. A case that sounds the same may very well be very different. You just don’t know the critical factors in a case when you read a summary, and often, you don’t even know for sure if you are the lawyer who tried the case. Often, a critical factor is jurisdiction, which varies from state to state, county to county, and city to city. So the take-home message is clear: take all of these with more than just a few grains of salt.

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