By name: tn-law-references description: > Matter-neutral reference catalog for Tennessee civil practice. Contains Tenn. R. Civ. P. / Tenn. R. Evid. summaries, fees-and-costs framework, citation format (Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 4 published/unpublished; Bluebook), court structure (Circuit, Chancery, General Sessions with its $25k cap + unlimited detainer jurisdiction; 10-day de novo appeal), and local-rules index. Emphasizes 803(6) business-records exception and 902 self- authentication (critical for debt matters). Hosts the reference corpora: verbatim court-rules (Tenn. R. Civ. P., Tenn. R. Evid., local rules), tn-statutes-debt (Tennessee Code chapters), federal-debt-laws (symlink), federal-bankruptcy (symlink), ucc-model (symlink). Other skills cite this one for rule numbers and case authorities. version: 0.2.1
Tennessee Law References
NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Reference catalog only. Read the cited rule, statute, or case in full — and confirm it is current — before relying on it.
This is the matter-neutral reference index for Tennessee civil
practice. Other skills in the tn-court-docs plugin point here for
rule numbers, statute citations, and case authorities. This skill is
also the physical host of the plugin's reference corpora.
What's here
references/
├── court-rules/ # Verbatim rule text (Tenn. R. Civ. P.,
│ # Tenn. R. Evid., local rules) — corpus
├── tn-statutes-debt/ # Tennessee Code Annotated chapters most
│ # relevant to civil practice — corpus
├── federal-debt-laws/ # FDCPA, FCRA, TILA, etc. (symlink into
│ # the shared claude-legal-federal-laws plugin)
├── federal-bankruptcy/ # Title 11 U.S.C. (symlink into shared plugin)
└── ucc-model/ # Model UCC Articles 1/2/3/9 (symlink into
# shared plugin)
The three symlinked corpora (federal-debt-laws/,
federal-bankruptcy/, ucc-model/) point into the shared
claude-legal-federal-laws plugin so the federal text is stored once,
not copied per state. The Tennessee-specific corpora (court-rules/,
tn-statutes-debt/) live physically under this skill.
Court structure — terminology
Tennessee trial courts and the vocabulary used across this plugin:
| Court | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General-jurisdiction court of law (torts, contracts, larger civil matters, divorce) |
| Chancery Court | General-jurisdiction court of equity (injunctions, specific performance, many divorces; the Clerk & Master is the equity clerk) |
| General Sessions Court | Limited-jurisdiction court; civil cap $25,000 (Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-501), unlimited in forcible entry & detainer (eviction); informal practice — see below |
Tennessee has 95 counties organized into roughly 31 judicial districts. Flagship counties: Davidson (Nashville) — 20th JD, Shelby (Memphis) — 30th JD, Knox (Knoxville) — 6th JD, and Hamilton (Chattanooga) — 11th JD. Divorce jurisdiction lies in both Circuit and Chancery; Juvenile Courts (Title 37) handle parentage, custody/support of children of unmarried parents, dependency & neglect, and termination of parental rights.
General Sessions is informal. The Tenn. R. Civ. P. do not apply in General Sessions except where specifically made applicable, and there is no formal discovery as of right. A party dissatisfied with a General Sessions civil judgment may appeal de novo to Circuit Court within 10 days of entry (Tenn. Code Ann. § 27-5-108) — verify the current period.
Tenn. R. Civ. P. — Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure
The Tenn. R. Civ. P. (often "TRCP") govern civil actions in the Circuit and Chancery Courts. Rules every Tennessee civil practitioner uses:
| Rule | Subject |
|---|---|
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 4 | Process — summons and service (90-day issuance / return) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 5 | Service and filing of subsequent papers |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6 | Time computation (6.01) and the 3-day mail add-on (6.05) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 7 | Pleadings allowed; designation of parties |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 8 | General rules of pleading |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10 | Form of pleadings (10.01 caption; 10.02 numbered paragraphs; 10.03 attach written instrument) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 11 | Signing of pleadings and motions |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12 | Defenses and objections (12.01 answer; 12.02 grounds, incl. 12.02(6) failure to state a claim) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 13 | Counterclaim and cross-claim (compulsory vs. permissive) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 15 | Amended and supplemental pleadings |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 26 | Discovery — scope and general provisions |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 30 / 31 | Depositions (oral / written questions) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 33 | Interrogatories (no statewide numeric cap) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 34 | Production of documents and things |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 36 | Requests for admission |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 37 | Failure to make discovery; motion to compel; sanctions |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 54 | Judgments; costs |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 55 | Default |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56 | Summary judgment (56.04 — motion served at least 30 days before the hearing) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 59 | Post-trial motions (59.04 motion to alter or amend; 30-day non-extendable window) |
| Tenn. R. Civ. P. 60 | Relief from judgment or order (60.02 grounds) |
Confirm current day counts and subsection lettering against the
verbatim text in references/court-rules/ before relying on them.
Tenn. R. Evid. — Tennessee Rules of Evidence
The Tenn. R. Evid. track the federal model closely. The two most load-bearing rules for documentary civil practice (especially debt-buyer and business-records matters):
- Tenn. R. Evid. 803(6) — the business-records hearsay exception. A record of a regularly conducted activity is admissible if a custodian or other qualified witness lays the foundation (made at or near the time by someone with knowledge, kept in the regular course, regular practice to keep it) — unless the source or circumstances indicate a lack of trustworthiness. A self-authenticating certification can substitute for live testimony.
- Tenn. R. Evid. 902 — self-authentication. Certain records
(certified copies of public records, and certified domestic business
records) are self-authenticating, so no extrinsic foundation
testimony is required. The exact subsection number of the certified
business-records provision (the 902(11)-equivalent) is not pulled
verbatim here — verify the current subsection lettering in
references/court-rules/before citing it.
Other commonly cited rules: 401-403 (relevance), 404(b) (other acts), 408 (compromise offers), 602 (personal knowledge), 702-703 (experts), 801-807 (hearsay), 901 (authentication), 1001-1008 (best evidence).
Fees and costs
Tennessee follows the American rule — each party bears its own attorney's fees unless a statute, rule, or contract shifts them. Authorities frequently invoked in civil practice:
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-12-119(c) — a party who prevails on a Tenn.
R. Civ. P. 12.02(6) (failure to state a claim) dismissal may
recover costs and reasonable attorney's fees, capped at $10,000,
from the non-prevailing party. A Tennessee-specific fee-shifting
hook; see
tn-first-30-days. - Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-109 — Tennessee Consumer Protection Act: discretionary attorney's fees, and treble damages for a willful or knowing violation.
- 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)(3) — FDCPA attorney's fees to a prevailing consumer.
- Contractual fee provisions — enforceable per their terms; verify reasonableness.
Filing-fee schedules are set by statute and by the clerk of each court; confirm the current amount with the clerk of the filing court.
Citation format
Tennessee uses standard Bluebook citation; there is no mandatory Tennessee-specific style manual.
- Cases: South Western Reporter —
S.W.,S.W.2d,S.W.3d.- Tennessee Supreme Court:
Rye v. Women's Care Ctr. of Memphis, MPLLC, 477 S.W.3d 235 (Tenn. 2015) - Court of Appeals:
Smith v. Jones, 123 S.W.3d 456 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2018) - Court of Criminal Appeals:
State v. Doe, 234 S.W.3d 567 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2007)
- Tennessee Supreme Court:
- Statutes:
Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-109(orT.C.A. § 28-3-109). - Rules:
Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.04;Tenn. R. Evid. 803(6). - Publication / citability — Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 4 governs. Published opinions are controlling authority; unpublished opinions are persuasive unless designated not-for-citation. Flag an opinion's published/unpublished status when citing it.
- Federal:
15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b);12 C.F.R. § 1006.34.
Local rules — where they live
Tennessee has no single statewide page-limit / margin / font rule. Document form is governed by Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10 (caption, numbered paragraphs, exhibits) and Rule 11 (signature), plus redaction of personal identifiers (verify the current electronic-filing and redaction rule for the venue). Page limits, typography, chambers-copy requirements, and motion-day mechanics are set by per-county LOCAL RULES.
- Local rules are indexed on the AOC "Local Rules of Practice" page at tncourts.gov.
- E-filing is county-by-county with no universal mandate: Davidson Chancery uses Odyssey / eFileTN (Tyler); Shelby uses eFlex; other counties use Tybera (TnCIS) or paper. Confirm the venue's platform and whether e-filing is mandatory with the clerk before filing.
Online sources
- Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts / Judicial Branch: https://www.tncourts.gov (rules of court, local rules index, opinions)
- Tenn. R. Civ. P. and Tenn. R. Evid.: published at tncourts.gov
- Tennessee Code Annotated: via the Tennessee General Assembly at https://www.capitol.tn.gov (plus public / commercial mirrors)
- Tennessee appellate opinions: tncourts.gov opinions search and CourtListener (Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals)
See the references/ corpora for verbatim rule and statute text.
Composition
- Every other Tennessee skill cites this one for rule numbers, statute numbers, and case authorities.
- For the filing court's mechanics:
tn-davidson,tn-shelby,tn-knox,tn-hamilton,tn-county-courts,tn-general-sessions. - For matter-specific bundles:
tn-consumer-debt,tn-family-law,tn-landlord-tenant,tn-personal-injury. - For timing arithmetic:
tn-deadlines.
References
references/court-rules/— verbatim Tenn. R. Civ. P. / Tenn. R. Evid. / local-rule corpusreferences/tn-statutes-debt/— Tennessee Code Annotated chapters most relevant to civil practicereferences/federal-debt-laws/— federal-law corpus (symlink)references/federal-bankruptcy/— Title 11 U.S.C. corpus (symlink)references/ucc-model/— Model UCC text (symlink)