(a) The administrative judge or hearing officer, at the request of any party, shall issue subpoenas, effect discovery, and issue protective orders, in accordance with the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, except that service in contested cases may be by certified mail in addition to means of service provided by the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure. The director of the administrative procedures division of the secretary of state‘s office may issue subpoenas on behalf of an administrative judge employed by the secretary of state. The administrative judge or hearing officer shall decide any objection relating to discovery under this chapter or the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure. Witnesses under subpoena shall be entitled to the same fees as are now or may hereafter be provided for witnesses in civil actions in the circuit court and, unless otherwise provided by law or by action of the agency, the party requesting the subpoenas shall bear the cost of paying fees to the witnesses subpoenaed.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 4-5-311

  • 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
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • 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
  • Person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, governmental subdivision, or public or private organization of any character, including another agency. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • 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.
(b) In case of disobedience to any subpoena issued and served under this section or to any lawful agency requirement for information, or of the refusal of any person to testify in any matter regarding which such person may be interrogated lawfully in a proceeding before an agency, the agency may apply to the circuit or chancery court of the county of such person’s residence, or to any judge or chancellor thereof, for an order to compel compliance with the subpoena or the furnishing of information or the giving of testimony. Forthwith, the court shall cite the respondent to appear and shall hear the matter as expeditiously as possible. If the disobedience or refusal is found to be unlawful, the court shall enter an order requiring compliance. Disobedience of such order shall be punished as contempt of court in the same manner and by the same procedure as is provided for like conduct committed in the course of judicial proceedings.
(c) The agency may promulgate rules to further prevent abuse and oppression in discovery.
(d) Any party to a contested case shall have the right to inspect the files of the agency with respect to the matter and to copy therefrom, except that records, the confidentiality of which is protected by law, may not be inspected.
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