Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 16 > Chapter 16 - County Courts

• Adult bookstore: means a business that offers, as its principal or predominate stock or trade, sexually oriented material, devices, or paraphernalia, whether determined by the total number of sexually oriented materials, devices or paraphernalia offered for sale or by the retail value of such materials, devices or paraphernalia, specified sexual activities, or any combination or form thereof, whether printed, filmed, recorded or live, and that restricts or purports to restrict admission to adults or to any class of adults. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Adult cabaret: includes a commercial establishment that features entertainment of an erotic nature, including exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Adult entertainment: means any exhibition of any adult-oriented motion picture, live performance, display or dance of any type, that has as a principal or predominant theme, emphasis, or portion of such performance, any actual or simulated performance of specified sexual activities or exhibition and viewing of specified anatomical areas, removal of articles of clothing or appearing unclothed, pantomime, modeling, or any other personal service offered customers. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Adult motion picture theater: means an enclosed building with a capacity of fifty (50) or more persons regularly used for presenting material having as a dominant theme or presenting material distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas as defined in this section, for observation by patrons in the building. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Adult-oriented establishment: includes , but is not limited to, an adult bookstore, adult motion picture theater, adult mini-motion picture establishment, adult cabaret, escort agency, sexual encounter center, massage parlor, rap parlor, sauna. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• 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.
• Agriculture: means :
  (i) The land, buildings and machinery used in the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Board: means the adult-oriented establishment board, or, if there is in existence in the county a massage registration board appointed by the county mayor, such board may be substituted for the board. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Business: means every trade, occupation, profession, investment activity, and other lawful purpose for gain or the preservation of assets, whether or not carried on for profit. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• buyer: means a person who buys goods or obtains services from a retail seller in a retail installment transaction and not principally for the purpose of resale. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Cash sale price: means the price for which the seller would have sold or furnished to the buyer, and the buyer would have bought or obtained from the seller, the goods or services which are the subject matter of the retail installment transaction, if such sale had been a sale for cash. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Commission: means the Tennessee commission for the United States semiquincentennial commission. See Tennessee Code 4-44-102
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• contract: means an instrument or instruments evidencing one (1) or more retail installment transactions entered into in this state pursuant to which a buyer promises to pay in installments for goods or services. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• County: as used in this part , means either a Class A county or a Class B county as classified in §. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• County mayor: means and includes "county executive" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Court: includes every court and judge having jurisdiction in the case. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Director: means an individual who is vested with authority as a director under §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Directors: means natural persons, designated in the charter or bylaws or elected or appointed by the incorporators, and their successors and natural persons elected or appointed to act as members of the board, irrespective of the names or titles by which such persons are described. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Distributed ledger technology: means any distributed ledger protocol and supporting infrastructure, including blockchain, that uses a distributed, decentralized, shared, and replicated ledger, whether it be public or private, permissioned or permissionless, and which may include the use of electronic currencies or electronic tokens as a medium of electronic exchange. See Tennessee Code 47-10-201
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• domestic: means a limited liability company formed under this chapter, or a limited liability company formed under the Tennessee Limited Liability Company Act, compiled in chapters 201-248 of this title, that has elected to be governed by this chapter, or, where expressly indicated, a limited liability company formed under and governed by the Tennessee Limited Liability Company Act. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Employee: includes an officer but not a director. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Employee: means a person who performs any service on the premises of an adult-oriented establishment on a full-time, part-time, or contract basis, whether or not the person is denominated an employee, independent contractor, agent or otherwise, and whether or not such person is paid a salary, wage, or other compensation by the operator of such business. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Entertainer: means any person who provides entertainment within an "adult-oriented establishment" as defined in this section, whether or not a fee is charged or accepted for entertainment and whether or not entertainment is provided as an employee, escort or an independent contractor. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Entity: means , whether foreign or domestic and whether for profit or not-for-profit, limited liability companies, corporations, unincorporated associations, real estate investment trusts, statutory or business trusts or associations, estates, general partnerships, limited partnerships, registered or unregistered limited liability partnerships, limited liability limited partnerships or similar organizations, trusts, joint ventures, two (2) or more persons having a joint or common economic interest, and local, municipal, state, United States and foreign governments. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escort: means a person who, for monetary consideration in the form of a fee, commission, salary or tip, dates, socializes, visits, consorts with, accompanies, or offers to date, socialize, visit, consort or accompany to social affairs, entertainment or places of amusement or within any place of public resort or within any private quarters of a place of public resort. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Escort service: means a "person" as defined in this section, who, for a fee, commission, profit, payment or other monetary consideration, furnishes or offers to furnish escorts or provides or offers to introduce patrons to escorts. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• 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.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• foreign: means a limited liability company that is formed under the laws of a jurisdiction other than this state. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Goods: includes goods which, at the time of the sale or subsequently, are to be so affixed to real property as to become a part thereof, whether or not severable therefrom. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• 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.
• Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• 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}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• LLC: means a limited liability company, organized under chapters 201-248 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• LLC documents: means either, or both:
  (A) An LLC's articles. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Manager: means a person who is vested with authority as a manager under §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Massage parlor: means an establishment or place primarily in the business of providing massage or tanning services where one (1) or more of the employees exposes to public view of the patrons within such establishment, at any time, the bare female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola, human genitals, pubic region, or buttocks, even if partially covered by opaque material or completely covered by translucent material. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Member: means a person that has been admitted to an LLC as a member, as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Minor: means any person who has not attained eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• National Credit Union Administration: The federal regulatory agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions. (NCUA also administers the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, which insures the deposits of federal credit unions.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Notice: means , when required by this part, placing the document in the United States mail with sufficient first-class postage to carry it to its destination to the address of the person being notified as contained in their application, unless such person has notified the board in writing of such person's new address. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Oath: includes affirmation. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Official fees: means :
  (A) The fees prescribed by law for filing, recording or otherwise perfecting or releasing or satisfying any title or lien retained or taken by seller in connection with a retail installment transaction. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Open office: means an office at the escort service from which the escort business is transacted and that is open to patrons or prospective patrons during all hours during which escorts are working, which is managed or operated by an employee, officer, director or owner of the escort service having authority to bind the service to escort and patron contracts and adjust patron and consumer complaints. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Operator: means any person, partnership, or corporation operating, conducting or maintaining an adult-oriented establishment. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Outlays: Outlays are payments made (generally through the issuance of checks or disbursement of cash) to liquidate obligations. Outlays during a fiscal year may be for payment of obligations incurred in prior years or in the same year.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means an individual or an entity. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Person: means an individual, partnership, limited partnership, firm, corporation or association. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Personal property: includes money, goods, chattels, things in action, and evidences of debt. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Personal representative: means , as to an individual, the executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, trustee or other legal representative of the individual, and, as to an entity, the legal representative or successor of the entity. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Personal 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
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• PLLC: has the meaning set forth in §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Probate: Proving a will
• Proceeding: means any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Rap parlor: means an establishment or place primarily in the business of providing nonprofessional conversation or similar service for adults. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• real property: include lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• 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
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Registered agent: means the person designated as the registered agent of a domestic or foreign LLC in its articles or in an application for a certificate of authority, as applicable, as thereafter changed from time to time in accordance with this chapter. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• 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
• Retail charge agreement: means an instrument or instruments prescribing the terms of retail installment transactions which may be made thereafter from time to time pursuant thereto, under which the buyer's total unpaid balance, whenever incurred, is payable in installments over a period of time and under the terms of which a time price differential, as defined in subdivision (10), is to be computed in relation to the buyer's unpaid balance from time to time. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• SAME program: means the state as a model employer program established pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 4-46-101
• Sauna: means an establishment or place primarily in the business of providing:
  (A) A steam bath. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Secretary: means the corporate officer to whom the bylaws or the board of directors has delegated responsibility under §. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Secretary of state: means the individual who holds the office of secretary of state of this state. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• seller: means a person regularly engaged in, and whose business consists to a substantial extent of, selling goods to a retail buyer. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Services: means work or labor furnished, whether or not furnished in connection with the delivery, installation, servicing, repair or improvement of goods and includes repairs, alterations or improvements upon or in connection with real property. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• sex: means a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Sexual conduct: means the engaging in or the commission of an act of sexual intercourse, oral-genital contact, or the touching of the sexual organs, pubic region, buttocks or female breast of a person for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of another person. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Sexual encounter center: means a business or commercial enterprise that, as one of its primary business purposes, offers for any form of consideration:
  (A) Physical contact in the form of wrestling or tumbling between persons of the opposite sex. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Sexual gratification: means sexual conduct as defined in this section. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Sexual stimulation: means to excite or arouse the prurient interest or to offer or solicit acts of sexual conduct as defined in this section. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Sexually-oriented escort: is a n escort that:
  (A) Employs as an employee, agent, or independent contractor an escort bureau runner. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Smart contract: means an event-driven computer program, that executes on an electronic, distributed, decentralized, shared, and replicated ledger that is used to automate transactions, including, but not limited to, transactions that:
  (A) Take custody over and instruct transfer of assets on that ledger. See Tennessee Code 47-10-201
• Specified anatomical areas: means :
  (A) Less than completely and opaquely covered:

  (i) Human genitals. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• Specified sexual activities: means :
  (A) Human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
• 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.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Time price differential: means the amount, however denominated or expressed, which the retail buyer contracts to pay or pays for the privilege of purchasing goods or services to be paid for by the buyer in installments. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• transaction: means a contract to sell or furnish or the sale of or the furnishing of goods or services by a retail seller to a retail buyer pursuant to a retail installment contract or a retail charge agreement. See Tennessee Code 47-11-102
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
• United States: includes district, authority, bureau, commission, department, and any other agency of the United States. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• Writ of certiorari: An order issued by the Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case for which it will hear on appeal.
• written: means any information in the form of a document. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105