Attorney

Chris Tardio

Member

  • Chris has been representing health care providers and entities since 2004 in a wide variety of matters. He has represented the largest health care companies in the world, medical groups and clinics across the state, and individual physicians from Bristol to Memphis, in virtually all types of matters in federal court, state court, and administrative tribunals. He is also licensed in Kentucky and regularly represents health care providers in South Central and Western Kentucky. Clients trust Chris with matters from the most complex to the most simple.

 

Chris has extensive experience defending hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers in virtually all kinds of professional negligence cases, from pre-suit investigation through trial and appeal. He has represented health care companies and providers in disputes with federal agencies, state boards, and insurance companies. He has successfully represented parties on both sides of peer review matters – the physician side and the hospital side.

Chris has special interest and experience representing health care providers in the most complex of cases, including multi-district litigation and complex birth injury litigation. He has defended birth injury cases in a dozen counties and three different states.

Chris has actively participated in more than a dozen health care-related jury trials and administrative trials, most of them complex and lasting more than a week, and many of them as lead counsel or co-lead counsel. He has successfully argued appellate matters to Tennessee’s state courts of appeals and to the federal Sixth Circuit.

Chris also has handled general commercial litigation matters, some as local counsel, including arbitration of a commercial dispute between an auto dealer and auto manufacturer and acting as local counsel for a cargo transit company. Chris has successfully handled personal injury cases on behalf of injured persons.

Chris prides himself on being a smart and creative advocate through tireless work and staying up-to-date on all matters related to his practice.

Outside the office, Chris enjoys all sports, particularly college football and college basketball and spending time with his family.

HonorBest Lawyers - "Lawyer of the Year" Contemporary Logos and Awards

  • SuperLawyers Rising Star, 2015-present
  • Best Lawyers in America (Health Care), 2015-present
  • Best Lawyers in America (Medical Malpractice – Defendants), 2016-present
  • Best Lawyers – Lawyer of the Year, Medical Malpractice – Defendants, 2023
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV preeminent rating, 2014-present
  • National Association of Distinguished Counsel, 2016-present (Awarded to Top 1% of Attorneys)
  • Top 100 High Stakes Litigators – Tennessee
  • Litigation Counsel of America – Fellow, 2024

Speaking Engagements

  • Filing Your Medical Malpractice Case: It’s Not as Easy as It Used to Be!, CLE Presentation, August 18, 2010
  • Medico-Legal Issues, Presentation to VUMC Emergency Medicine Residents, March 19, 2013
  • Medical Malpractice in Tennessee: Where We Stand in 2013, CLE Presentation, September 24, 2013
  • 2014 Annual Medical Malpractice Conference, Featured Presenter and Panel Participant, May 5, 2014
  • Compounding Pharmacies: A Changing Legal Environment, Quarterly Newsletter, Vol. 13, Issue 3, 2014
  • Health Care Liability: Latest Developments in Tennessee, CLE Presentation, April 9, 2015
  • 2015 Annual Personal Injury Conference, Featured Presenter, September 25, 2015 (presentation on health care liability)
  • 2016 Annual Medical Malpractice Conference, Featured Presenter and Panel Participant, May 13, 2016
  • Causation in Medical Malpractice Cases, CLE Presentation, June 29, 2016
  • 2016 Annual Conference for Tennessee Practitioners, Featured Speaker on HIPAA, November 17, 2016
  • How to Get Your Social Media, Email and Text Evidence Admitted (and Keep Theirs Out), Featured Speaker on ESI and Ethics for Two Sessions, December 16, 2016
  • Healthcare Liability Cases in Tennessee: Notice and Certificate of Good Faith, CLE Presentation, February 23, 2017
  • Effective Depositions of Expert Witnesses, CLE Presentation to Young Lawyers Division, April 6, 2017
  • CLE Presentation, Using Medical Records in Health Care Liability Lawsuits, May 5, 2017, Annual Tennessee Medical Malpractice Conference
  • Panel Moderator, May 5, 2017, Annual Tennessee Medical Malpractice Conference
  • Presentation to Insurer, Medical Records in Health Care Liability Lawsuits, June 12, 2017
  • CLE Presentation, As Judges See It: Top Mistakes Attorneys Make in Civil Litigation, December 8, 2017 (moderator of panel of judges)
  • Guest Lecture, Belmont School of Law Health Practicum Class, February 5, 2018
  • Presenter, Defending the Health Care Liability Case, Annual Tennessee Medical Malpractice Conference, May 18, 2018
  • Presenter, ESI Conference, CLE, May 22, 2018
  • Presenter, Annual Tennessee Personal Injury Conference, September 21, 2018
  • CLE Presentation, As Judges See It: Top Mistakes Attorneys Make in Civil Litigation, November 1, 2018 (moderator of panel of judges)
  • CLE, Civil Trial, Start to Finish, Presentation on Jury Selection, December 21, 2018
  • Guest Lecture, Belmont School of Law Health Practicum Class, February 11, 2019
  • Medico-Legal Issues, Presentation to VUMC Emergency Medicine Residents, March 19, 2019
  • Medico-Legal Issues, Presentation to St. Thomas Emergency Medicine Residents, August 15, 2019
  • CLE Presentation, The Judges Speak: Civil Court Litigation Do’s and Don’ts, December 10, 2019 (moderator of panel of judges)
  • Presenter, Personal Injury 101 – Case Law Update, December 12, 2019
  • Presenter, Preparing for a Jury Trial and also Opening Statements and Closing Arguments: What to Say to Jurors and How to Say it, December 20, 2020
  • Medico-Legal Issues, Presentation to St. Thomas Emergency Medicine Residents, January 23, 2020
  • Annual Tennessee Medical Malpractice Conference, CLE Presentation, May 14, 2021
  • CLE Presentation, Covid-19 Immunity Statute (Webinar), Aug. 31, 2022
  • Panel Presentation, Physician Licensure Actions, TBA Annual Health Law Program, Oct. 19, 2022
  • CLE Presentation, Applying Rules of Evidence in Civil Practice, NBI, November 18, 2022

Community Involvement

  • Pro Bono cases “ regular pro bono representation of low-income Nashville residents (2004-present)
  • Pro Bono monthly legal clinic “ volunteer at monthly walk-in legal clinic (2004-present)
  • Flood Relief Pro Bono Clinic “ volunteer at walk-in clinic after historic May 2010 flood (2010)
  • Davidson County Mock Trial “ volunteer judge and scorer at Davidson County high school mock trial tournament (2004-present)
  • Vanderbilt Mock Trial “ volunteer judge at Vanderbilt mock trial (2011-14)
  • Vanderbilt University Law School Moot Court “ volunteer judge at VULS moot court competitions (2004-present)
  • Belle Meade Municipal Planning Commission, 2018-19
  • Belle Meade Board of Zoning Appeals, 2019-present
  • Youth Sports Coach – flag football, basketball, baseball (WNSL, McCabe Little League, Ensworth)

Publications

  • Compounding Pharmacies: A Changing Legal Environment, Quarterly Newsletter, Vol. 13, Issue 3, 2014

Appellate Opinions

Practice Areas

  • Medical Malpractice
  • Hospital Litigation
  • Health Law
  • General Civil Litigation

Education

  • University of Kentucky, B.A., 2001
    • summa cum laude
    • Departmental Honors
  • Vanderbilt University, J.D., 2004
    • Dean’s List, 2004
    • Journal of Entertainment Law & Practice

Bar Admissions

  • Tennessee, 2004
  • U.S. District Court, Western, Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee
  • U.S. District Court, Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky
  • Kentucky, 2012

Memberships

  • Tennessee Bar Association
  • Kentucky Bar Association
  • Nashville Bar Association
  • American Bar Association