Lantroop v. Moreland

OPINION

KOCH, Judge.

This appeal involves a malicious prosecution action brought by a contractor against a property owner who had accused him of stealing tools and construction materials from a job site. The contractor sued the landowner in the Circuit Court for Williamson County after the criminal charges against him were dismissed for lack of probable cause. A jury awarded the contractor $10,000 in compensatory damages and $45,000 in punitive damages, and the landowner has appealed. We find that the judgment must be set aside and a new trial awarded because of errors in the manner in which…