Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella, PC
Providing legal counsel in the areas of law that impact lives and livelihoods. Call us - 615 254 2291
Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella, PC
Providing legal counsel in the areas of law that impact lives and livelihoods. Call us - 615 254 2291We work to prevent problems, and we help solve the problems that can’t be prevented.
Our appellate practice team is among Tennessee’s most experienced and most successful.
Lawyers with extensive trial experience in Tennessee’s state and federal courts.
Focused advice for the particular needs of government agencies and non-profits.
We help Tennessee’s families and businesses plan for and navigate the changes that life brings.
If you’ve been hurt—from a car wreck, a fall, a medical procedure, or an accident—we can help.
DPBC’s Margaret Behm Featured on CBS Sunday Morning
Margaret Behm and Jeanie Nelson spoke with Margaret Brennan of CBS Sunday Morning about what the Nashville Public Library’s Votes for Women exhibit means to them and the impact they hope it has on future visitors. You can watch their appearance here.
Seven Dodson Parker Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America© 2021; 19 Firm Practice Areas Represented
Seven lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021. The attorneys are recognized for their work in 17 practice areas.
Margaret Behm is currently recognized in the following areas:
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- Commercial Litigation
- Corporate Law
- Employment Law – Individuals
- Employment Law – Management
- Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Municipal Law
- Nonprofit / Charities Law
Michael Bressman is recognized for his work in Art Law, Information Technology Law, Nonprofit/ Charities Law, and Trademark Law.
Donald Capparella is recognized in the areas of Appellate Practice, Insurance Law, and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs.
Miranda R. Christy is recognized for her work in Real Estate Law.
Harlan Dodson, has been named 2021 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in Nashville for his work in Nonprofit/ charities Law and is also recognized for his work in the following categories:
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- Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
- Corporate Law
- Litigation – Trusts and Estates
- Real Estate Law
- Trusts and Estates
Paul Parker is recognized for his work in the areas of Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates.
Tyler C. Yarbro, is recognized for her work in Employment Law – Individuals, Employment Law – Management, and Litigation – Labor & Employment.
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
Nashville Public Library holds Virtual Grand Opening for Votes for Women Exhibit
The Nashville Public Library’s Votes for Women room’s virtual grand opening was today at 11:30.
One hundred years ago today, bells rang all over the country, but not in Nashville, for feelings were still too raw and tense following the close vote in the Tennessee legislature on ratification of the 19th Amendment. So, today, we are ringing the bells to celebrate this centennial anniversary and the opening of Votes for Women.
At Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella, we ring our bells for our founding partner Margaret Behm in honor of her vision for the Votes for Women room at Nashville Public Library.
Margaret Behm Keynote for NBJ’s 2020 Women of Influence Forum & Awards
Behm will be the keynote speaker for the Women of Influence Awards Wednesday, July 15th. Nashville Business Journal celebrates inspirational women across Middle Tennessee who are making history and carving the path for the next generation of female leaders. You can join virtually or learn more about the event by clicking the link below.
Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence Forum & Awards.
Donald Capparella and Tyler Yarbro Serve as Co-Counsel on Successful Appeal of Local Healthcare Liability Case
In 2012, after undergoing a procedure to have her gallbladder removed, Mrs. Yebuah learned that there was a foreign object that had been left inside her abdomen during a procedure she had previously undergone in 2005. Though the healthcare providers from the 2005 surgery admitted fault after Mrs. Yebuah and her husband filed a lawsuit, there was a trial to determine the amount of damages they had suffered.
Based upon the proof presented at trial, the jury ultimately awarded the Yebuahs $4.5 million in non-economic damages: $4 million to Mrs. Yebuah for her pain and suffering and lost enjoyment of life and $500,000 to Mr. Yebuah for his loss of consortium. After the jury reached its verdict, the trial court applied the statutory cap on damages to reduce the jury verdict in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-39-102. The trial court ruled that the cap on damages applied to reduce Mrs. Yebuah’s award to $750,000 and that a separate cap on damages applied to Mr. Yebuah’s award, which would remain at $500,000.
The defendants appealed, arguing that the statutory cap on damages should reduce the total award by the jury to $750,000 – not that each plaintiff’s award should be separately capped at $750,000. Specifically, the defendants argued that Mr. and Mrs. Yebuah should have been awarded, at most, $750,000 for all of their collective claims. The Court of Appeals disagreed.
In examining the cap statute, Tenn. Code Ann § 29-39-102, and relying on the statute’s repeated reference that it applies to “each injured plaintiff,” the Court interpreted the statute to mean that the cap should apply to reduce damages awards to individual plaintiffs. The Court of Appeals, therefore, affirmed the judgment of the trial court and determined that the cap statute operates to give each injured plaintiff a separate, individual cap on their damages.
Donald Capparella and Tyler Yarbro served as co-counsel for the plaintiff alongside Nashville attorneys Randall L. Kinnard, Mary Ellen Morris and Jessica J. Kinnard, and Washington, DC attorney John Vail.
You can read the full opinion here.
