Court Reviews Whether Plaintiffs Can Recover Damages from a Police Department and the Prior Operator of a Car in an Accident in which Neither Party was Directly Involved

SANDRA NEWMAN ET AL. v. RUBYE J. JARRELL ET AL. (Tenn. Ct. App. December 8, 2010)

The plaintiffs were injured in a car accident in which their car collided with a stolen car. They sued the City of Murfreesboro and its police department, arguing that the stolen car was being pursued by the police immediately prior to the accident. The plaintiffs also sued the person who was using the car with its owner's permission prior to the theft, arguing that he had acted negligently in leaving the keys in the car. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of all of the defendants.

With respect to the city and its police department, we affirm. With respect to the user of the offending car prior to its theft, we reverse and remand.

Opinion available at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2010/newmans_120810.pdf