Nashville Flood Suit Dismissed

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isn’t liable for damage to the Grand Ole Opry and other buildings, among others, caused by a 2010 flood that inundated Nashville, according to a U.S. District Court judge who dismissed lawsuits against the agency Feb. 28.

Gaylord Entertainment Co. – now Ryman Hospitality Properties – and an insurer representing Gibson Guitar and several other Nashville-area businesses claimed the corps acted negligently in April 2010 by not lowering water levels on the Cumberland River despite warnings that heavy rains were imminent.

When floodgates were finally opened at Old Hickory Dam, according to the complaints, the Cumberland River rose above the 100-year flood plain.

Floodwaters topped levees and caused damage in excess of $350 million to the Grand Ole Opry House, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center and Gibson Guitar, according to the Tennessean. The Opry and hotel complex were closed for several months for renovations.

Government attorneys argued that the case should be dismissed because the corps was immune from prosecution under the Flood Control Act of 1928.

U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell on Feb. 28 sided with the government and ordered the lawsuits dismissed. A third lawsuit brought by a Nashville attorney also was dismissed.

The 2010 flood killed 11 and caused $2 billion in property damage in the Middle Tennessee area, according to the Tennessean.