Robert F. Parsley

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Appellate Practice, 2026 American Bar Foundation, Fellow Burton Award for Legal Achievement, Burton Foundation in Association with the Library of Congress Honored as an "Attorney for Justice" by the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, 2025 Matthew Long v. Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund, —- S.W.3d —-, No. E2022-01151-SC-R11-CV (Oct. 13, 2025) Successfully represented appellant, Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund, before the Tennessee Supreme Court, securing the reversal of lower-court rulings in a disability benefits challenge brought by a former firefighter. The court affirmed the fund’s interpretation of its plan requirements for disability benefits for solely emotional harm arising from normal duties. James W. Grubb, et al., v. Joe D. Grubb, et al., 2025 WL 48196 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025) Successfully obtained reversal of judgment on all claims asserted against client in multimillion-dollar business-divorce dispute. Joey Harmon, v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America, et al., Case No. 23-5619, 2024 WL 1075068 (6th Cir. 2024) Successfully obtained affirmance of dismissal of disability plan claims against insurer. Renasant Bank v. Landcastle Acquisition Corp., 57 F.4th 1203 (11th Cir. 2023) Successfully represented defendant-appellant bank in obtaining reversal of summary judgment on interlocutory appeal based on question of first impression in FDIC context. Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County, et al., v. Tennessee Department of Education, et al., 645 S.W.3d 141 (Tenn. 2023) Represented amicus curiae in defending constitutionality of school voucher statute. Sharon Weatherly v. Eastman Chemical Co., 2023 WL 5013823 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2023) Successfully represented defendant-appellee chemical company in obtaining affirmance of dismissal of nuisance and property damage claims based on asbestos claims statute. Keith Cousins v. Hutton Construction, Inc., et al., Case No. E2021-01251-COAR3-CV, 2023 WL 1815660 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2023) Successfully obtained reversal of judgment against real estate developer for breach of executive employment contract. In re Beaulieu Group, LLC, 2022 WL 2903402 (11th Cir. 2022) Successfully represented plaintiff-appellee buyer of assets of carpet manufacturer in obtaining dismissal of appeal from bankruptcy adversary proceeding based on lack of appellate jurisdiction. Joshua David Mellberg, LLC, et al., v. Jovan Will, et al., 2021 WL 4480840 (9th Cir. 2021) Successfully represented defendant-appellee marketing group in obtaining affirmance of summary judgment against $30 million claims for misappropriation of trade secrets in annuity marketing industry. Cynthia Pittman, et al., v. Unum Group, et al., 861 F. App’x 51 (6th Cir. 2021) Successfully represented defendant-appellee publicly traded insurer in obtaining affirmance of dismissal of multimillion-dollar securities fraud claims. Joshua David Mellberg, LLC v. Impact Partnership, LLC, 355 Ga. App. 691, 844 S.E.2d 223 (Ga. Ct. App. 2020) Successfully represented marketing group in obtaining affirmance of rejection of anti-SLAPP statute in defamation case against competitor. Thermolife International LLC v. GNC Corp., 922 F.3d 1347 (Fed. Cir. 2019) Successfully represented dietary-supplement manufacturer and seller in upholding one million award of attorneys’ fees for successful defense of patent-infringement claims. Jacobs Field Services North America, Inc. v. Wacker Polysilicon North America, LLC, 375 F. Supp. 3d 898 (E.D. Tenn. 2019) Successfully represented publicly traded polysilicon manufacturer in defeating motion to remand and obtaining dismissal of lawsuit by design-engineer based on agreement to arbitrate pass-through claim. Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. HBS International Corp., 910 F.3d 1186 (11th Cir. 2018) Successfully represented appellant dietary supplement manufacturer and seller in obtaining reversal of dismissal of Lanham Act claims. Tennessee Clean Water Network v. Tennessee Valley Authority, 905 F.3d 436 (6th Cir. 2018) Successfully represented amicus curiae Tennessee Valley Public Power Association in advocating for reversal of order imposing $2 billion removal of coal-ash impoundment under Clean Water Act. Carolina Electrical Workers Retirement Plan, et al., v. Zenith American Solutions, Inc., et al., 137 S.Ct. 1079 (U.S. Sup. Ct. 2017) Successfully represented respondent ERISA plan administrator in opposing petition for certiorari. Crew One Productions, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board, 811 F.3d 1305 (11th Cir. 2016) Successfully represented defendant-appellant labor referral service in reversing ruling by National Labor Relations Board that independently contracting stagehands were employees subject to unionization. Brown v. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Inc., 827 F.3d 543 (6th Cir. 2016) Successfully represented defendant-appellee plan administrator in affirming dismissal of action by healthcare provider challenging recoupments based on patients' assignments of ERISA benefits.