Songwriter Danny Tate jailed in 2012 gun, marijuana case
He lost house, savings, royalties after brother put him in conservatorship
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Danny Tate
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After losing his house, his savings and even his future royalties, Nashville songwriter Danny Tate was led away from a courtroom in handcuffs Thursday.
Tate’s jailing came on three misdemeanor charges — including possession of a gun and a small amount of marijuana — that had been pending for nearly a year. He said in a brief telephone conversation earlier this week that he had decided to turn himself in.
He appeared Thursday before General Sessions Judge Casey E. Moreland and was led from the courtroom at 10 a.m. A hearing on the charges is scheduled for Monday.
Tate, 57, is being held in the county lockup in lieu of $75,000 bail, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s office.
A songwriter and recording artist, he has written songs for Lynryd Skynyrd, Rick Springfield and Tim McGraw, among others, all before he was placed in a conservatorship in 2007 under a petition filed by his brother.
The petition charged that Tate was a danger to himself because of drug use.
The emergency petition was approved on the day it was filed by Probate Judge David “Randy” Kennedy. Three years later Kennedy ruled that Tate was competent to control his own health and business affairs. The conservatorship was officially closed earlier this year, court records show.
Tate’s conservatorship was one of several cases before Kennedy, who has been criticized for his handling of cases in which managers are appointed to handle the finances of people the court finds incapable of handling themselves.
The winning $120,000 bid was made by Michael G. Hoskins, one of the attorneys hired to represent him.
Kennedy approved legal fees from the house sale proceeds totaling up to $215,673.75 for Hoskins and Paul Housch, who represented Tate’s brother.
In March, Hoskins placed a $127,862.19 lien on Tate’s royalties, which means any royalties earned from that date forward will go to Hoskins until the debt is reduced to zero.
Tate was one of the witnesses at public hearings held last year by the Tennessee Bar Association on the state law governing conservatorships.
Stating that he went into the conservatorship as a millionaire and came out impoverished, Tate said, “Everything that has happened in this case defies all sense and logic.”
After his release from the conservatorship, Tate moved to Kentucky and filed for bankruptcy. He later returned to the Nashville area.
A hearing is scheduled for early next week on the charges against Tate. He was arrested October 2, 2012, after he was seen speeding. He passed a field sobriety test and agreed to allow police to search his car. They found a shotgun, one gram of marijuana, six marijuana roaches and four packages of cigarette papers.
Tate’s jailing came on three misdemeanor charges — including possession of a gun and a small amount of marijuana — that had been pending for nearly a year. He said in a brief telephone conversation earlier this week that he had decided to turn himself in.
He appeared Thursday before General Sessions Judge Casey E. Moreland and was led from the courtroom at 10 a.m. A hearing on the charges is scheduled for Monday.
Tate, 57, is being held in the county lockup in lieu of $75,000 bail, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s office.
A songwriter and recording artist, he has written songs for Lynryd Skynyrd, Rick Springfield and Tim McGraw, among others, all before he was placed in a conservatorship in 2007 under a petition filed by his brother.
The petition charged that Tate was a danger to himself because of drug use.
The emergency petition was approved on the day it was filed by Probate Judge David “Randy” Kennedy. Three years later Kennedy ruled that Tate was competent to control his own health and business affairs. The conservatorship was officially closed earlier this year, court records show.
Tate’s conservatorship was one of several cases before Kennedy, who has been criticized for his handling of cases in which managers are appointed to handle the finances of people the court finds incapable of handling themselves.
Witness at hearing
Court and other public records show that Tate’s house on Old Harding Pike was auctioned off in 2012 to pay legal and other bills stemming from the conservatorship.The winning $120,000 bid was made by Michael G. Hoskins, one of the attorneys hired to represent him.
Kennedy approved legal fees from the house sale proceeds totaling up to $215,673.75 for Hoskins and Paul Housch, who represented Tate’s brother.
In March, Hoskins placed a $127,862.19 lien on Tate’s royalties, which means any royalties earned from that date forward will go to Hoskins until the debt is reduced to zero.
Tate was one of the witnesses at public hearings held last year by the Tennessee Bar Association on the state law governing conservatorships.
Stating that he went into the conservatorship as a millionaire and came out impoverished, Tate said, “Everything that has happened in this case defies all sense and logic.”
After his release from the conservatorship, Tate moved to Kentucky and filed for bankruptcy. He later returned to the Nashville area.
A hearing is scheduled for early next week on the charges against Tate. He was arrested October 2, 2012, after he was seen speeding. He passed a field sobriety test and agreed to allow police to search his car. They found a shotgun, one gram of marijuana, six marijuana roaches and four packages of cigarette papers.
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