The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

P was injured in an accident and was hospitalized for five days at D. He was released from the hospital on December 18, 1998, after incurring hospital expenses of $31,504.84. P was insured by Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which had a contract with D. The contract provided, in part, that D would provide health care services to members of the Blue Cross health care plan at established discounted rates and that D would not bill any Blue Cross member for the difference between the actual medical expenses and the discounted rates. Blue Cross paid D its full obligation under the contract, which covered all but $14,772.09 of the hospital expenses. P later filed a lawsuit against Lynn in the Circuit Court for Coffee County for the personal injuries he suffered in the accident. D then sought to recover $14,772.09. D had previously filed a statutory Notice of Hospital Lien with the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Davidson County against any monetary recovery P might receive from Lynn. P filed a complaint against D alleging an abuse of process, breach of contract, and a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act on the grounds that D had agreed to accept payment in full from Blue Cross. D filed a motion seeking to compel arbitration. P argued that he was not bound by the arbitration provision because he was not a 'party' to the contract. The trial court found that P was 'not bound to the arbitration provision.' The Court of Appeals reversed, concluding that P was subject to the arbitration provision because he was a third-party beneficiary to the contract who was seeking to enforce rights under the contract. This appeal resulted.

The court's holding and decision will be displayed here.

Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.