Tennessee Code 50-7-703 – Subpoenas – Refusal to obey – Penalty
Attorney's Note
Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| class C misdemeanor | up to 30 days | up to $50 |
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 50-7-703
- Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: has the meaning given that term by §. See Tennessee Code 50-7-403
- Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
- Testify: Answer questions in court.
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
In case of contumacy by or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, any court of this state within the jurisdiction of which the inquiry is carried on, or within the jurisdiction of which the person guilty of contumacy or refusal to obey is found or resides or transacts business, upon application by the commissioner or the commissioner’s designee, an unemployment hearing officer, or any duly authorized representative of any of them, shall have jurisdiction to issue to the person an order requiring that person to appear before the commissioner, the commissioner’s designee, an unemployment hearing officer, or any duly authorized representative of any of them, there to produce evidence if so ordered, or there to give testimony touching the matter under investigation or in question. Any failure to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt of the court, and, in addition to the contempt proceeding, any person who without just cause fails or refuses to attend and testify or to answer any lawful inquiry or to produce books, papers, correspondence, memoranda and other records, if it is in the person’s power so to do, in obedience to a subpoena of the commissioner, the commissioner’s designee, an unemployment hearing officer or any duly authorized representative of any of them, commits a Class C misdemeanor.