(a) If a party fails to attend or participate in a prehearing conference, hearing or other stage of a contested case, the administrative judge or hearing officer, hearing the case alone, or agency, sitting with the administrative judge or hearing officer, may hold the party in default and either adjourn the proceedings or conduct them without the participation of that party, having due regard for the interest of justice and the orderly and prompt conduct of the proceedings.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 4-5-309

  • Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
  • Administrative judge: means an agency member, agency employee or employee or official of the office of the secretary of state, licensed to practice law and authorized by law to conduct contested case proceedings pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Agency: means each state board, commission, committee, department, officer, or any other unit of state government authorized or required by any statute or constitutional provision to make rules or to determine contested cases. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Contested case: means a proceeding, including a declaratory proceeding, in which the legal rights, duties or privileges of a party are required by any statute or constitutional provision to be determined by an agency after an opportunity for a hearing. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Hearing officer: means an agency member, agency employee or employee or official of the office of the secretary of state, not licensed to practice law, and authorized by law to conduct a contested case proceeding pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Order: means an agency action of particular applicability that determines the legal rights, duties, privileges, immunities or other legal interests of a specific person or persons. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Party: means each person or agency named or admitted as a party, or properly seeking and entitled as of right to be admitted as a party. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) If the proceedings are conducted without the participation of the party in default, the administrative judge or hearing officer, hearing the case alone, shall include in the initial order a written notice of default, otherwise, the agency, sitting with the administrative judge or hearing officer, shall include such written notice of default in the final order. If the proceedings are adjourned and not conducted, the administrative judge or hearing officer, hearing the case alone, may render an initial default order, otherwise, the agency, sitting with the administrative judge or hearing officer, may render a final default order. All default orders and notices of default in default orders shall include a written statement of the grounds for the default.
(c) A party may petition to have a default set aside by filing a timely petition for reconsideration as provided in § 4-5-317.
(d) If a party fails to file a timely petition for reconsideration or the petition is not granted, the administrative judge or hearing officer, sitting alone, or agency, sitting with the administrative judge or hearing officer, shall conduct any further proceedings necessary to complete the contested case without the participation of the defaulting party and shall determine all issues in the adjudication, including those affecting the defaulting party.
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