A shareholder in Glassman, Wyatt, Tuttle & Cox, P.C., Lewis Lyons has been with the firm since his graduation from law school. During that time, Lewis has assisted both corporate and individual clients in a variety of areas. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Lewis moved to Memphis in 1998 to attend Rhodes College. He decided to stay in Memphis and graduated from law school at the University of Memphis in 2005.
While his experience is diverse, Lewis focuses his practice on premises liability, transportation litigation and legal malpractice defense. He has been appointed by state and federal courts as Guardian Ad Litem for more than 100 minor children seeking settlement approval. Lewis has tried, including as lead counsel, commercial and personal injury cases in jury and bench trials in state and federal court.
Lewis is also a Rule 31 listed Tennessee mediator.
Some of Lewis’s achievements through his career include:
Represented defendant online publishing company in a patent infringement suit. Secured dismissal based on lack of personal jurisdiction in the context of internet contacts within the forum state. Instabook Corp. v. Instantpublisher.com , 469 F. Supp. 2d 1120 (M.D. Fla. 2006);
Represented defendant insurance company in a declaratory judgment/breach of contract action related to coverage on an underlying CERCLA action. Secured summary judgment and participated in successfully defending the appeal. Mueller Copper Tube Prods. v. Pa. Manufacturers’ Ass’n Ins. Co., 254 Fed. Appx. 491 (6th Cir. 2007)
Represented defendant trucking company as lead counsel in declaratory judgment/breach of contract case on indemnity issue. Secured dismissal at trial level and successfully defended appeal. Georgia-Pacific LLC v. Swift Transp. Corp., 2008 Tenn. App. LEXIS 572 (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 29, 2008)
Represented plaintiffs in commercial dispute regarding a football team. Assistant trial counsel and authored briefs to secure the favorable judgment was affirmed on appeal. Thompson v. Davis, 308 S.W.3d 872 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2009), application for permission to appeal denied
Represented defendant transportation companies in a commercial dispute at trial and appellate levels. Secured reversal of adverse judgment on appeal. White v. Empire Express, Inc., 395 S.W.3d 696 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2012), application for permission to appeal denied
Represented defendant affiliate of Memphis Union Mission as lead counsel at trial an appellate levels. Secured defense judgment in general sessions, dismissal of general sessions appeal and successfully defended appeal to Court of Appeals. Johnson v. Calvary Colony, 2012 Tenn. App. LEXIS 503 (Tenn. Ct. App. July 26, 2012)
Represented defendant restaurant owner as lead counsel in premises liability action. Secured defense verdict in Shelby County jury trial. Mary Rickles v. Joseph Shanks, Shelby County Circuit Court No. CT-006260-07
Represented defendant grocery store as lead counsel in premises liability action. Secured defense judgment in bench trial. Bertha Hurley v. Save-A-Lot, Hardin County, TN Circuit Court No. 4113
Represented Defendant law firm and attorney in legal malpractice action in the Chancery Court of Williamson County, Tennessee. Lewis secured dismissal of the Complaint at trial level and an award of $45,133.02 in sanctions for attorney’s fees and expenses which was reduced to judgment and collected from the Plaintiff in 2016. Case No: 40416.
Represented defendant bank in lawsuit asserting various tort, contract and statutory claims arising from multiple thefts at the home of Plaintiffs following substantial cash withdrawals from the bank. Secured dismissal on a Rule 12 motion of suit seeking damages in excess of $650,000. Authored briefs at trial and appellate levels and presented oral argument at Tennessee Court of Appeals. Heflin v. Iberiabank Corp., No. W201602414COAR3CV, 2018 WL 522429 (Tenn. Ct. App. Jan. 23, 2018), appeal denied (June 8, 2018).
In November 2019, Lewis secured summary judgment in a premises liability lawsuit filed against his real estate owner and property management clients. After inheriting the case from a prior law firm, Lewis promptly developed the evidence in light of controlling Tennessee law and secured dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims before trial. The last settlement demand was a six figure number. Richardson v. H&J Properties et al, CT-002896-15. Lewis successfully defended the appeal on briefs and oral argument, and in the process helped make new law regarding residential landlords in Tennessee. Richardson v. H & J Properties, LLC, No. W2019-02082-COA-R3-CV, 2020 WL 6158463 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 21, 2020) (no Rule 11 application filed).
Lewis represented a national company in the business of manufacturing and servicing shopping carts in a lawsuit arising from an incident when a shopping cart lost a wheel and seriously injured a grocery store customer. Lewis defended the client against the personal injury claims made by the customer, as well as contractual and common law indemnity claims made by the grocery store. The personal injury claims against the client were resolved on favorable terms at mediation and Lewis thereafter secured summary judgment on issues of liability for the accident as well as the indemnity claims. The grocery store went to trial with the injured plaintiff, and the jury returned a verdict against the grocery store for $2,700,000.00. Lewis successfully defended the appeal on brief and oral argument and the indemnity claims against the client were dismissed. Wortham v. Kroger Ltd. P’ship I, No. W2019-00496-COA-R3-CV, 2020 WL 4037649 (Tenn. Ct. App. July 16, 2020) (no Rule 11 application filed)
In January of 2021, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of a health care liability action against the firm’s client. The minor Plaintiff alleged the defendants failed to diagnose and treat a bowel obstruction that resulted in serious injuries, including surgical removal of small intestines and infections. After several depositions, Lewis secured summary judgment for the client based on his argument the client owed no legal duty to the Plaintiff. Waller v. Varangon Corp., No. W2019-02211-COA-R3-CV, 2021 WL 306466 (Tenn. Ct. App. Jan. 29, 2021), appeal denied (June 15, 2021)
Law Clerk for Tennessee Circuit Court Judge James F. Russell from 2004-2005
CALI Award, University of Memphis School of Law: Evidence, Constitutional Law, and Jurisprudence
Recipient, Deans Award for Academic Excellence (Best Oral Advocate)
Staff Member, Tennessee Journal of Practice and Procedure, 2004-2005
Board of Directors, Student Bar Association of University of Memphis School of Law, serving as Executive Director in 2005
Named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in 2005
Publications/Presentations
2010 co-presenter with Richard Glassman and Hon. Charmiane G. Claxton, U.S. District Court for Western District of Tennessee, at Memphis Bar Association CLE on subject of judicial settlement conferences in state and federal courts
2011 co-presenter at Memphis Bar Association Young Lawyers Division CLE on subject of court approval of minor’s settlements
2014 co-presenter in Destin, FL at Memphis Bar Association bench-bar conference on subject of court approval of minor’s settlement
2015 presenter at National Business Institute seminar in Memphis on topic of damages in personal injury cases, including: sources of recovery, the collateral source rule, made whole doctrine and claims against recovery such as Medicare set-asides, workers’ compensation liens, medical provider liens and health insurance subrogation
2015 presenter at Memphis Bar Association seminar in Memphis on subject of ethical issues in personal injury cases.
2017: Presenter at Memphis Bar Association bench-bar conference in New Orleans, LA on topic of proving damages in personal injury cases.
2020: Live webinar for Shelter Insurance Company employees and panel counsel across Tennessee on topic of residential landlord liability for personal injury claims.
2021: Live webinar for Memphis World Trade Club members on topic of defending cargo and personal injury claims on behalf of transportation industry entities.
2022: presenter at Memphis Bar Association ethics seminar on the topic of Lawyers Transitioning to Judges: Ethical Pointers and Pitfalls
Community Involvement
Mentor with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Memphis (2005-2008)
Mentor with the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation (2011-2012)
Member of Church of the Holy Communion where he has served as Sunday school teacher and was elected to and served on the Vestry for a three-year term beginning in January 2011.
Volunteer cook at More Than A Meal soup kitchen at Grace St. Luke’s.
Board of Directors for The Dorothy Day House, which provides transitional housing and support services for families experiencing homelessness and is the only place in town where men, women and children can all live together as opposed to having to split up based on gender.
Personal
Lewis and his wife Carly have one son, Alden Knight Lyons. In his elusive free time, Lewis enjoys cooking, hunting, fishing and supporting local sports teams.
