Joe DeGaetano is a Chattanooga trial lawyer. He represents people in personal injury and insurance claims in Tennessee and Georgia, and federal criminal defendants in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
In the 2009 trial of an injury lawsuit in Rutherford County, Tennessee, Joe and his colleague won a jury verdict in excess of $10 million against an international, publicly traded restaurant chain for over-service of alcohol.
From 2018 to 2025, Joe served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. As a federal prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted federal crimes including wire fraud, tax fraud, bankruptcy fraud, drug trafficking, illegal firearm possession, armed robbery, death threats against federal officials, and the January 6, 2021, assault on the United States Capitol and its police officers.
In 2015, the Hamilton County Commission appointed Joe to the Board of Zoning Appeals, which hears requests for zoning variances and other zoning-related matters each month.
In 2016, the Hamilton County Commission appointed Joe to the Regional Health Council, the lead community-based organization designated by the Tennessee Department of Health, responsible for community health assessment, regional health planning, and the provision of input regarding funding decisions for health and health related initiatives.
In 2025, Governor Bill Lee selected Joe as one of three finalists to serve as the Tennessee Claims Commissioner for Eastern Tennessee. The Claims Commission hears and decides all personal injury cases against the State of Tennessee.
