Stillman & Friedland Car, Truck, & Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

08/28/2026

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (Lao Tzu, ancient philosopher. Tao Te Ching)
Learn, grow, celebrate, enjoy, and remember, if you need us, we are a phone call away.

The Asian Culture Center of Knoxville, TN, provides outreach programs for K-12 schools and universities. We also host community events promoting cultural peace

08/26/2026

James' injuries were unique in that they were serious but there was no medical treatment other than to wait for the injuries to heal.
Stillman and Friedland was there with support, patience, and guidance to help him.

08/25/2026

The World mourns the loss of Dolly Parton.
The truest of Legends, may the rest of us aspire to be as compassionate and amazing as she was.
(Photograph courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

08/24/2026

FANCY LEGAL TERMS – WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

Today’s fancy legal term is DEPOSITION (deh-puh-zi-shn), what is it?

After both parties (Plaintiff – you, Defendant – the person who hit you) have answered Interrogatories (last week’s word), and the attorneys for both have reviewed and researched the responses, Depositions will be scheduled. Depositions are part of the “discovery phase” of a lawsuit.

A Deposition does not take place in the Court room. It is not held in front of a Judge or Jury.
You (or whoever is being deposed) must swear under oath that you are telling the truth to the best of your knowledge.

Unlike Interrogatories that are written responses, a Deposition is spoken, in person (or by video conferencing like Zoom ™). Depositions can be held anywhere but usually take place at one of the law offices of the parties involved.

The questions during a Deposition are much like the ones you answered in the Interrogatories, except they are much more detailed and probing. Just like with Interrogatories, Deposition questions will feel invasive and at times unrelated to the crash, but also just like with Interrogatories, the Defense attorney(s) has a right to ask the questions to establish the facts, establish (or destroy) credibility, and discover other information that may need to be explored.

The people in the Deposition room are you, your attorney, the Defense attorney(s), and a Court Reporter/Stenographer who will record every word that is spoken for the written record. Sometimes the Depositions are videoed. If that happens, then there will also be a Videographer present who will take a video of the Deposition.

If it is “Party Depositions”, then the same amount of people applies, however, after your Deposition, the Defendant(s) will give their deposition(s) or vice-versa.

There are also “Witness Depositions”, these are people who witnessed the crash.

There are “Expert Depositions”, these can be medical experts, vocational experts, economic experts, accident reconstruction experts, Police Officers, engineering experts, or a whole host of other experts to prove your case.

Depositions can take as little time as an hour or last an entire day. There is no set time frame.

Wearing comfortable, casual business clothing is best. You will be allowed to take a break whenever you need. You are allowed to have drinks (non-alcoholic) in the room. No one can be in the Deposition with you. Your spouse, family, friends can bring you, but they are not allowed to be in the room while the Deposition is being taken.

Don’t be nervous…who am I kidding, you will be nervous…but you do not have to be.
Just be honest with all your answers. The truth is the easiest thing to remember!

You and your attorney will begin preparing for your Deposition weeks in advance. You may meet with him/her in person a couple of times prior to the Deposition.

Stillman and Friedland will make sure that you are prepared!

08/21/2026

¡¡Vengan a vernos a Plaza Mariachi mañana, 22 de agosto, de 1:00 p. m. a 5:00 p. m.!!
Come see us at Plaza Mariachi, tomorrow August 22 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm!!

Explore job opportunities, legal resources, and community services at the Job & Legal Fair on August 22 from 1 PM–5 PM at Plaza Mariachi.

08/19/2026

Devin felt listened to, cared for, and supported.
If you are injured in a crash, contact Stillman and Friedland to be on your side.

08/17/2026

FANCY LEGAL TERMS – WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

Today’s fancy legal term is INTERROGATORIES (in-tr-aa-guh-taw-reez), what is it?

After a Complaint is filed with the Court, and the Defense attorney files an Answer with the Court, a set of Interrogatories is sent to your attorney for you and your attorney to answer. A similar set of Interrogatories was sent with the Summons that was served on the Defendant for him/her/them to answer.

Interrogatories are a series of questions that range from your general personal information, such as your name, date of birth, Social Security Number, and address, to more personal questions such as your current and past employment history, your medical history, and your criminal history. These questions can feel invasive, and frankly…well…they are. But the Defense has a right to ask these questions because they are establishing your character. If you knowingly lie or omit information for any of these answers, then the Defense can bring that up to a jury and that will taint your character…meaning it can cause the jury to wonder what else you are lying about.

The Interrogatories will also ask you questions like, explaining in your own words, how the crash happened, statements you made and to whom, what injuries you sustained, and where you got medical treatment.

This is why it is important to let your attorney know all prior medical treatment, car crashes, injuries, surgeries, and birth defects that you have had. Your injuries may be caused by the car crash, but they could be an exacerbation or aggravation of previous injuries you had years ago. Omitting prior injuries, crashes, surgeries, or birth defects can also taint your character.

Interrogatories allow both sides (Plaintiff – you, Defendant – person who hit you) to see if there is anything out there that needs to be investigated. Such as, did the Defendant mention in their Interrogatory answers that they spoke to a witness that wasn’t listed on the police crash report? Your attorney will want to speak to that person too. Did the Defendant take photographs of the crash? Your attorney will want copies of those.

The staff here at Stillman and Friedland will explain each Interrogatory question and assist you in your answers. You are not alone!

Interrogatories are the lead into the next phase of discovery called Depositions. That will be next week’s fancy legal term. Stay tuned!

08/14/2026

Patricia was faced with a difficult decision after the crash; take care of herself and her injuries or take care of her ailing parents…
Stillman and Friedland made that choice easy, we took care of her so she could take care of her mom and dad.
We will work with you wherever you are in your life.

08/12/2026

Starting tomorrow - The Wilson County/Tennessee State Fair!
Ranking among the top 10 largest fairs nationwide!
Be weather wary as Middle Tennessee is under a heat advisory!
Have fun, be safe, and remember Stillman & Friedland are only a phone call away if you need us.

TEN days of family fun and great entertainment. There's so much to see and do, you can't see it all in one visit! Thrilling rides, concerts, food, tractor pulls, monster trucks, pageants, livestock shows, Fiddlers Grove Historical Village and much more!

08/10/2026

FANCY LEGAL TERMS – WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

Today’s fancy legal term is SUMMONS (SUM-uhnz), what is it?

When a Complaint is filed with the Circuit Court of the county, a copy of that Complaint is served on the Defendant(s) by way of a Summons. The Defendant(s) is the person you name in the Complaint as the one who caused the crash.

The Summons is an official document that has the Circuit Court information on it, the Plaintiff (you) and the Defendant(s) information, the Docket number (the number the Court assigns to the case), and your attorney’s information on it.

That Summons is attached to a copy of the Complaint, and a set of Interrogatories and is served on the Defendant(s) by the County Sheriff or a process server.

Once served, a copy of the Summons is returned to the Circuit Court, after having been filled out by the Sheriff’s Office or the process server that “service was completed on [date]”. Once the Court received the served Summons, that is called a “Return”, which means that the service of the Summons was good.
That gives the Defendant(s) a set number of days to contact their car insurance company and/or an attorney so that they can file an Answer with the Court.
Sometimes the Defendant(s) cannot be found, so the Sheriff’s Office or process server will return the Summons to the Court as “Unfound”. That is not a good Return. But that allows the Plaintiff (you/us) to file an “Alias Summons”, with another address to serve the Defendant(s). If that one fails, then the Plaintiff (you/us) can file a “Pluries Summons”. And continue until the Defendant is served. On some occasions a Private Investigator must be hired to locate the Defendant.

Next week we will learn what Interrogatories are!

Here at Stillman & Friedland, we will make sure that all appropriate documents are filed on your behalf with the Court. We have your back!