(a) The commission may, upon its own motion, and shall, upon the verified complaint in writing of any person, hold a hearing as provided in this chapter and investigate the actions of any auctioneer, affiliate auctioneer or any person who assumes to act in either capacity; provided, that the complaint with the evidence, documentary or otherwise, presented in connection with the complaint, makes out a prima facie case.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 62-19-112

  • Affiliate auctioneer: means an individual who, for compensation or valuable consideration, or otherwise, is employed, directly or indirectly, by a principal auctioneer to deal or engage in any activity described in subdivision (9). See Tennessee Code 62-19-101
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Auction: means a sales transaction conducted by oral, written, or electronic exchange between an auctioneer and members of the audience, consisting of a series of invitations by the auctioneer for offers to members of the audience to purchase goods or real estate, culminating in the acceptance by the auctioneer of the highest or most favorable offer made by a member of the participating audience. See Tennessee Code 62-19-101
  • Auctioneer: means a principal auctioneer, bid caller auctioneer, or public automobile auctioneer. See Tennessee Code 62-19-101
  • Bid caller auctioneer: means an individual who, for compensation or valuable consideration, or otherwise, is hired by a principal auctioneer, public automobile auction, or public automobile auctioneer to solicit bids for the purchase of goods at an auction. See Tennessee Code 62-19-101
  • Commission: means the Tennessee auctioneer commission. See Tennessee Code 62-19-101
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • 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.
  • Goods: means chattels, merchandise, real or personal property, or commodities of any form or type that may lawfully be kept or offered for sale. See Tennessee Code 62-19-101
  • 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 an individual, association, partnership, corporation, and the officers, directors, and employees of a corporation. See Tennessee Code 62-19-101
  • 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
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The commission may suspend, revoke or refuse to renew any license issued under this chapter where the license has been obtained by false or fraudulent representations or for any of the following causes:

(1) Making any substantial misrepresentation including, but not limited to, individuals licensed solely as bid caller auctioneers who hold themselves out to others as principal auctioneers or public automobile auctioneers;
(2) Pursuing a continued and flagrant course of misrepresentation or making false promises through agents or advertising or otherwise;
(3) Accepting valuable consideration as an affiliate auctioneer for the performance of any of the acts specified in this chapter, from any person, except the licensee’s employer auctioneer;
(4) Failing to account for or remit, within a reasonable time, any money belonging to others that comes into the licensee’s possession, commingling funds of others with the licensee’s own or failing to keep the funds of others in an escrow or trustee account; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be construed to require an auto auction as defined in § 55-17-102(1)(A) to maintain or use an escrow account when the auction does not accept and deposit funds of others;
(5) Paying valuable consideration to any person for services performed in violation of this chapter;
(6) Being convicted in a court of competent jurisdiction of this or any other state, or of the United States, of a criminal offense involving moral turpitude or a felony. However, an action taken under this subdivision (b)(6) shall be subject to the applicable provisions of the Fresh Start Act that are compiled in chapter 76, part 1 of this title;
(7) Violating any provision of this chapter, or any rule or regulation duly promulgated under this chapter;
(8) Failing to furnish voluntarily to all interested parties, at the time of execution, copies of all written instruments prepared by the auctioneer or affiliate auctioneer;
(9) Failing prior to the sale at public auction to enter into a written contract with the owner or consignee of any property to be sold, containing the terms and conditions upon which the licensee receives the property for sale;
(10) Engaging in the business of auctioning real property without being duly licensed as a broker or affiliate broker under the Tennessee Real Estate Broker License Act of 1973, compiled in chapter 13 of this title;
(11) Knowingly using false bidders, cappers or pullers;
(12) Any conduct of any auctioneer that demonstrates improper, fraudulent, incompetent or dishonest dealings;
(13) Violating title 55, chapter 17, or any rule duly promulgated under title 55, chapter 17, pertaining to the sale or auction of motor vehicles; or
(14) Negotiating or executing an auction contract to sell goods, take possession of seller assets, or take possession of auction proceeds as a bid caller auctioneer licensee.
(c) The affirmative vote of a majority of the commission shall be necessary to revoke or suspend a license.
(d) An auctioneer or affiliate auctioneer may retire the auctioneer’s or affiliate auctioneer’s license by making such request in writing and paying the appropriate fees set by the commission. The written request must be accompanied by the license certificate and pocket card. The retiree shall be responsible for notifying the commission of any change in address. Only licenses that are current and in good standing with the commission may be retired.
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