Sidney W. Gilreath

Being a pilot made me a better lawyer. Flying requires discipline, organization, and the ability to plan ahead. I obtained my pilots instruction from Evelyn Johnson of Morristown, TN and later was approved for my flying certificate from her since she is an FAA flight examiner. I hold a private pilots license, land with an instrument and multi engine rating, I have logged more than 4000 hours as pilot in command of an aircraft. Being a pilot has allowed me to fly across the southeast, not only to meet with clients but to attend hearings and trials.

• Tennessee, 1962
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee, 1962
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Eleventh Circuits, 1966
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1995

• Maryville College, B.S.
• University of Tennessee College of Law, JD
• Instructor, National College of Advocacy, 1979-1980

Reported Cases:

• Braden v. Yoder, 592 S.W.2d 897 (Tenn. App., 1979)
• Smith v. Gore, 728 S.W.2d 738 (Tenn., 1987)
• Motley v. Fluid Power, 640 S.W.2d 222 (Tenn. App. 1982)
• Wolfe v. United States, 703 F.2d 569 (6th Cir., 1982)
• Sweeney v. State Dept. of Transp., 744 S.W.2d 905 (Tenn. App., 1987)
• Murphree v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., 696 F.2d 459 (6th Cir., 1982)
• Sterling v. Velsicol, 855 F.2d 1188 (6th Cir., 1988)
• Steele v. Ft. Sanders Anesthesia Group, P.C., 897 S.W.2d 270 (Tenn. App., 1994)
• Cruze v. Ford Motor Co., et al., 1999 WL 1206798 (Tenn.Ct.App.)
• Johnson v. Tenn. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co., 205 S.W.3d 365 (Tenn. 2006)

• Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
• Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization
• Recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America every year since the first year of publication
• Recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in Tennessee
• AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell
• Tennessee Association for Justice Lifetime Achievement Award 2015

Knoxville Junior (President, 1965), Tennessee and American Bar Associations; Tennessee Association for Justice (Vice President, 1969-1970; President, 1971-1972; Life Member, 1983); The American Association for Justice (State Committeeman, 1969; Member, Board of Governors, 1976-1984, 1992; Parliamentarian, 1984-1986; Treasurer, 1987-1988; Vice President 1988-1989); Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (Associate Member); West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (Associate Member); New York State Association of Trial Lawyers, Inc. (Associate Member); American Judicature Society; Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association; American Board of Trial Advocates (President, Tennessee Chapter, 1995-1996); Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys. Fellow: International Society of Barristers; American College of Trial Lawyers; International Academy of Trial Lawyers; American College of Legal Medicine (Associate Member). Founding Fellow, Tennessee Bar Foundation. Adjunct Professor, Trial Advocacy, the University of Tennessee College of Law, 1999; Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy; Certified Civil Trial Specialist, Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization

Automobile Accidents

Gilreath & Associates has represented countless individuals injured in collisions obtaining settlements and verdicts ranging from $15,000 to $5 million

Trucking Accidents

$2 million to family rear-ended by tractor-trailer.
$1.5 million to family crushed in their automobile between two tractor-trailers.
$1 million to widow of truck driver killed in accident involving two tractor-trailers.
$765,000 to man severely injured by truck crossing highway median.
$750,000 to family of woman when tractor trailer crossed center line.

Medical Malpractice

$7.6 million to woman paralyzed during neck surgery — affirmed by the Tennessee Court of Appeals – Steele v. Ft. Sanders Anesthesia Group, P.C., 897 S.W.2d 270 (Tenn. App., 1994).
$3.5 million to man for failure to diagnose fracture resulting in paralysis.
$3 million to child severely disabled at birth due to medical error.

Defective Products

$44 million to child paralyzed due to defective seatbelt system.
$13 million to two plaintiffs paralyzed as a result of rear-end collision in a defectively designed automobile.
$6.5 million to a woman paralyzed by defective airbag and seatbelt system — affirmed by the Tennessee Court of Appeals – Cruze v. Ford Motor Co., et al., 1999 WL 1206798 (Tenn.Ct.App.).
$3.9 million to teenager paralyzed in accident caused by defective school bus brakes.
$1.5 million to person injured by defective lawn mower.

Railroad Injuries (Federal Employer Liability Act -FELA)

$2.25 million to railroad worker who lost his leg after being crushed by train wheel assembly.
$841,901 to locomotive engineer for back injuries sustained in crossing collision.
$700,000 to locomotive engineer for neck and back injuries suffered when two train cars collide.

Toxic Exposure – Environmental Law

$21 million to multiple residents exposed to toxic chemical waste via air and water.
$10.5 million to multiple residents exposed to toxic chemical waste in groundwater — affirmed by the Tennessee Supreme Court – Sterling v. Velsicol, 855 F.2d 1188 (6th Cir. 1988).
$400,000 to multiple plaintiffs exposed to toxic chemicals from leaking chemical tank.