(a) The following actions shall be commenced within ten (10) years after the cause of action accrued:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 28-3-110

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
  • 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: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • 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
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(1) Actions against guardians, executors, administrators, sheriffs, clerks, and other public officers on their bonds;
(2) Actions on judgments and decrees of courts of record of this or any other state or government; and
(3) All other cases not expressly provided for.
(b)

(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a), there is no time within which a judgment or decree of a court of record entered on or after July 1, 2014, must be acted upon in the following circumstances:

(A) The judgment is for the injury or death of a person that resulted from the judgment debtor’s criminal conduct; and
(B) The judgment debtor is convicted of a criminal offense for the conduct that resulted in the injury or death; or
(C) The civil judgment is originally an order of restitution converted to a civil judgment pursuant to § 40-35-304.
(2)

(A) Prior to entry of the judgment, the judge shall make a determination on the record that the plaintiff‘s injury or death was the result of the defendant‘s criminal conduct and that the defendant’s conduct resulted in a criminal conviction.
(B) When entering a civil judgment on or after July 1, 2014, to which this subsection (b) applies, both the trial judge and clerk shall sign and note the existence of the conviction on the judgment document, and the clerk shall also make appropriate docket notations. Such signatures and notations shall be sufficient evidence that the judgment is valid until paid in full or otherwise discharged as authorized by law.
(c)

(1) Notwithstanding subsection (b), if a person was awarded a judgment meeting the criteria of subdivision (b)(1) but the judgment was entered prior to July 1, 2014, and is still valid as of the date it is presented to the clerk pursuant to this subsection (c), the statute of limitations on such judgment set out in subsection (a) shall be tolled if the person:

(A) Obtains a certified copy of the defendant’s judgment of conviction from the clerk of the court in which the conviction occurred showing that the conviction meets the criteria of subdivision (b)(1)(A) and (B);
(B) Obtains a certified copy of the person’s civil judgment that was based on the defendant’s criminal conduct;
(C) Completes, under penalty of perjury, an affidavit, in substantially the form set out in subsection (d).
(2) The clerk shall ensure that the documents presented are those required by subdivision (c)(1). If they are the correct documents, the clerk shall record the documents and from the date of recordation, the statute of limitations of the person’s civil judgment shall be tolled.
(d) The affidavit required to accompany the judgment of conviction and civil judgment shall be substantially as follows:

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(e) Notwithstanding subsection (a), there is no time within which a judgment or decree in a domestic relations matter issued by a court with domestic relations jurisdiction pursuant to title 36 must be acted upon, unless otherwise specifically provided for under title 36.
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