(a) If the spouse, or the next of kin if there is no spouse, of any person defined as an absentee under § 30-3-201(1), wishes to sell, lease, or mortgage specific property having a gross value of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more, owned by the absentee or in which the absentee had an interest, or take specific action with respect to the absentee’s interest having a gross value of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more, the spouse or next of kin may petition the chancery or probate court for an order authorizing the action with respect to that property or interest.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 30-3-204

  • absentee: is:

    (1) Any person serving in or with the armed forces of the United States, in or with the Red Cross, in or with the merchant marines or otherwise, during any period of time when a state of hostilities exists between the United States and any other power and for one (1) year thereafter, who has been reported or listed as missing in action, interned in a neutral country, beleaguered, besieged or captured by the enemy. See Tennessee Code 30-3-201
  • 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.
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • 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.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. 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
(b) The petition shall be sworn to by the petitioner and shall state:

(1) The names, addresses, and age of the spouse, children, mother, father, brothers, and sisters, or if none of these are living, the next of kin, of the absentee;
(2) The name, address, and age of any other person who would have an interest in the property or the estate of the absentee if the absentee were deceased;
(3) The exact circumstances that cause the person missing to be an absentee under § 30-3-201, including the date the absentee was first known missing, interned, beleaguered, etc.;
(4) The reasons for the action for which the petition seeks authorization;
(5) Whether or not the person alleged to be an absentee has a will, the whereabouts of the will and contents if known; and
(6) A statement of all property constituting an asset of the alleged absentee’s estate or in which the absentee has any interest and the approximate value of that property.
(c) Notice of the hearing on the petition shall be given to all persons named in the petition by registered mail or certified mail with return receipt requested.
(d) The judge shall hear evidence on the question of whether the person alleged to be missing, interned, beleaguered, etc., is an absentee as defined by § 30-3-201, and on the question of whether the action in question should be authorized. Any person interested in the proceedings may intervene with leave of the court.
(e) The court may in its discretion appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the alleged absentee at the hearing.
(f) If after hearing, the court is satisfied that the person alleged to be an absentee is an absentee, as defined in § 30-3-201, and that the action in question should be authorized, and that there is no necessity for a full conservatorship as provided by § 30-3-205, the court shall enter an order appointing the petitioner as conservator for the purposes of the action that is the subject of the petition and authorizing the conservator to take the action requested in the petition. The court shall require the conservator to account for the proceeds of the sale, lease, or other action, but the conservator shall not be required to subject the other property of the absentee to a conservatorship proceeding.
(g) The court may retain jurisdiction of the proceeding to make such further orders as it deems proper.
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