Davidson County Jury Awards $37,315 to Landscaper Bitten by Pediatrician's Dog

A professional landscaper arrived at a Davidson County home to perform routine yard work. The property owner was a pediatrician. While the landscaper was on the premises, the owner's dog bit him. The dog had a documented history of violent behavior, a fact the owner knew before the incident.

The bite caused a nerve injury serious enough to require surgery. Beyond the physical trauma and recovery, the injury disrupted the landscaper's ability to work in the physically demanding trade he relied on for his livelihood.

Attorneys Jonathan L. Griffith and Lincoln Kullander of GriffithLaw represented the injured landscaper. The defense, handled by Jamie A. Leaver and Christopher M. Jones of LeVan Sprader Patton and Plymire in Nashville, contested the case and raised comparative fault arguments against the plaintiff.

At trial in Davidson County Circuit Court, the jury found the dog owner 51 percent responsible. The remaining 49 percent of fault was assigned to the plaintiff. The jury awarded $37,315 in special damages, covering medical expenses and economic losses, but declined to award damages for pain, suffering, or other non-economic harm.

Applying the 51/49 fault split under Tennessee's modified comparative fault rule, the net recovery came to $18,284. The result reflects a contested case where the defense made fault allocation the central issue, limiting non-economic recovery entirely.