Date of Case Completion:
August 6, 2019
Category:
Personal Injury Defense / Jury Trial / Pre-Existing Condition
Summary:
McLemore Law PLLC successfully defended Amy Knapp in a high-stakes personal injury trial involving disputed claims of a knee injury requiring surgery. While fault for the accident was admitted, the jury awarded only $2,040.93 in total damages, rejecting over $500,000.00 in claimed damages and confirming that the alleged knee injury predated the accident.
Description:
Case Name: Gerald Kennedy and Rhonda Kennedy v. Amy Knapp
Court: Circuit Court of Williamson County, Tennessee at Franklin
Case No.: 94CC1-2017-CV-294
The case arose from a motor vehicle accident in which Amy Knapp admitted fault and acknowledged that Gerald Kennedy suffered minor back discomfort. The defense agreed that $1,540.93 in medical expenses for this injury were attributable to the collision.
The central dispute at trial involved Kennedy’s additional claim of a left knee injury requiring surgery and totaling $27,224.15 in medical expenses. He sought $500,000.00 in damages, while Rhonda Kennedy sought over $100,000.00 for loss of consortium.
McLemore Law PLLC presented compelling expert testimony showing that the knee injury existed months before the accident. Dr. William Blake Garside had diagnosed Kennedy with a likely meniscus tear in May 2015—five months prior to the crash. Expert Dr. Charles Cox reinforced this finding, testifying with near certainty that the knee injury predated the collision and was unrelated to the accident.
The jury sided with McLemore Law, rejecting the knee injury claims and awarding only $2,040.93—representing $1,540.93 in medical expenses and $500.00 for pain and suffering. No damages were awarded to Rhonda Kennedy. The court ruled Amy Knapp the prevailing party and taxed court costs to the plaintiffs.