Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 20 > Chapter 2 - Process

• Administratrix: The female counterpart of an administrator. See also
• 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.
• agency: means that organization that has been designated pursuant to the terms of this chapter to administer the Tennessee homestead program. See Tennessee Code 7-66-102
• agreement: means that contract between the homesteader and the administering agency relative to participation in the homestead program. See Tennessee Code 7-66-102
• 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.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Articles of conversion: means the form of articles provided for in chapter 204 of this title creating a new LLC and evidencing the conversion of an existing partnership or corporation to the new LLC which shall have all of the assets and liabilities of the former partnership. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• board of directors: means the governing board of a corporation, whether denominated the board of directors or otherwise, except that no person or group of persons is the board of directors because of powers delegated to that person or group pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Business: includes every trade, occupation, profession, investment activity and other lawful purpose for gain or the preservation of assets whether or not carried on for profits. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Bylaws: means the code or codes of rules (other than the charter) adopted pursuant to chapters 51-68 of this title for the regulation or management of the affairs of the corporation irrespective of the name or names by which such rules are designated. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Charitable purpose: means a purpose that:
  (A) Would make a corporation operated exclusively for that purpose eligible to be exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Charter: includes amended and restated charters and articles of merger. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Class: when used with reference to membership interests, means a category of membership interests that differs in one (1) or more rights or preferences from another category of membership interests of the LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• 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
• 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.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conveyance property: means that real property that shall be subject to conveyance by sale or by lease upon compliance with certain conditions and terms. See Tennessee Code 7-66-102
• 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.
• 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.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• delivery: means any method of delivery used in conventional commercial practice, including delivery by hand, mail, commercial delivery, and, if authorized in accordance with §. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• 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.
• Disqualified person: means an individual or entity that for any reason is or becomes ineligible under this part to be a member of a PLLC or holder of financial rights of a PLLC. See Tennessee Code 48-249-1102
• Dissolution: means that the LLC has incurred an event under §. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Distribution: means a direct or indirect transfer of money or other property (except its own membership interests) with or without consideration, or an incurrence or issuance of indebtedness, (whether directly or indirectly, including through a guaranty) by an LLC to or for the benefit of any of its members in respect of membership interests. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Document: means :
  (A) Any tangible medium on which information is inscribed, and includes any writing or written instrument. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• domestic business corporation: means a corporation for profit, which is not a foreign corporation, incorporated under or subject to chapters 11-27 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• domestic corporation: means a corporation for profit, which is not a foreign corporation, incorporated under or subject to the Tennessee Business Corporation Act, compiled in chapters 11-27 of this title, as amended. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• domestic nonprofit corporation: means a corporation incorporated under the laws of this state and subject to the Tennessee Nonprofit Corporation Act, compiled in chapters 51-68 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Eligible entity: means a domestic or foreign unincorporated entity or a domestic or foreign nonprofit corporation. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• Eligible entity: means a domestic or foreign unincorporated entity or a domestic or foreign business corporation. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Eligible interests: means interests or memberships. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• Eligible interests: means interests or shares. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Employee: includes an officer but not a director. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Entity: includes the following, whether foreign or domestic: LLCs. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• 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}
• 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.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Executor: includes an administrator, where the subject matter applies to an administrator. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Executrix: The female counterpart of an executor. See also
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Filing entity: means an unincorporated entity that is of a type that is created by filing a public organic document. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• Filing entity: means an unincorporated entity that is of a type that is created by filing a public organic document. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Financial rights: means a member's or holder's rights to:
  (A) Share in profits and losses, as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• 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.
• For-profit benefit corporation: means a domestic business corporation organized under and subject to the Tennessee Business Corporation Act, compiled in chapters 11-27 of this title that intends to pursue a public benefit or public benefits. See Tennessee Code 48-28-103
• Foreign business corporation: means a corporation for-profit incorporated under an organic law other than the laws of this state. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Foreign corporation: means a corporation for profit incorporated under a law other than the laws of this state. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Foreign for-profit benefit corporation: means a for-profit corporation incorporated under a law other than the laws of this state that intends, as stated in its charter or similar governing instrument, to pursue a public benefit or public benefits and has, under that law, the status of a for-profit benefit corporation or its substantial equivalent. See Tennessee Code 48-28-103
• Foreign nonprofit corporation: means a corporation incorporated under a law other than the law of this state, which would be a nonprofit corporation if incorporated under the laws of this state. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Foreign unincorporated entity: means an unincorporated entity whose internal affairs are governed by an organic law other than the laws of this state. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Foreign unincorporated entity: means an unincorporated entity whose internal affairs are governed by an organic law of a jurisdiction other than this state. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governance rights: means a member's right to vote on one (1) or more matters, all of a member's other rights as a member in the LLC under the LLC documents or this chapter, other than financial rights, and the right to transfer the voting and other rights described in this subdivision (13). See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Governing body: means the board of governors in the case of a board-managed LLC, the members in the case of a member-managed LLC, and the board of directors in the case of a corporation. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• 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
• holder: means a person, other than a member, owning any financial rights in an LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Homesteader: means that person, corporation, partnership, or joint venture that has been designated pursuant to this chapter to receive, lease, occupy, rehabilitate or renovate real properties declared to be held for the program as provided in this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-66-102
• In forma pauperis: In the manner of a pauper. Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Individual: includes the estate of an incompetent or deceased individual. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Interest: means either or both of the following rights under the organic law of an unincorporated entity:
  (A) The right to receive distributions from the entity either in the ordinary course or upon liquidation. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Interest: means either or both of the following rights under the organic law of an unincorporated entity:
  (A) The right to receive distributions from the entity either in the ordinary course or upon liquidation. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Interest holder: means a person who holds of record an interest. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• Interest holder: means a person who holds of record an interest. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• 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.
• Lands: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Law: includes rules promulgated in accordance with §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-1102
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• 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}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• 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 elected, appointed, or otherwise designated as a manager by the governing body, and any other person considered elected as a manager pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Member: means a person reflected in the required records of an LLC as the owner of some governance rights of a membership interest of the LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Member: means a person that has been admitted to an LLC as a member, as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Membership: means the rights of a member in a domestic or foreign nonprofit corporation and includes the rights and obligations a member has pursuant to a corporation's charter, bylaws and chapters 51-68 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Membership: means the rights and obligations a member has pursuant to a corporation's charter, bylaws and chapters 51-68 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Membership interest: means a member's interest in an LLC consisting of a member's financial rights, a member's right to assign financial rights as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Membership interest: means a member's interest in an LLC, which shall consist of the member's financial rights and governance rights. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Month: means the time from any day of any month to the corresponding day of the succeeding month, if any, and if none, the last day of the succeeding month. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mutual benefit corporation: means a domestic corporation which becomes by operation of law a mutual benefit corporation pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Nonfiling entity: means an unincorporated entity that is of a type that is not created by filing a public organic document. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• 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.
• Organic document: means a public organic document or a private organic document. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Organic law: means the statute governing the internal affairs of a domestic or foreign business or nonprofit corporation or unincorporated entity. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Owners: means members in the case of an LLC, shareholders in the case of a corporation, partners in the case of general or limited partnerships and the equivalent with respect to other entities. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Participating shares: means shares however denominated that entitle their holders to participate in distributions on dissolution after all preferences have been paid. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• 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.
• Party to a merger or share exchange: means any domestic or foreign corporation, or eligible entity that will:
  (A) Merge in a plan of merger. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• Person: includes individual and entity. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Person: means an individual or an entity. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• 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
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• PLLC: has the meaning set forth in §. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Principal office: means the office (in or out of this state) so designated in the annual report where the principal executive offices of a domestic or foreign corporation are located. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Private organic document: means any document (other than the public organic document, if any) that determines the internal governance of an unincorporated entity. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Probate: Proving a will
• Probate court: means the court having jurisdiction over the administration of the estates of decedents. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Proceeding: includes civil suit and criminal, administrative, and investigatory action. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public benefit: means a positive effect or reduction of negative effects on one (1) or more categories of persons, entities, communities, or interests, other than shareholders in their capacities as shareholders, including, but not limited to, an artistic, charitable, cultural, economic, educational, environmental, literary, medical, religious, scientific, or technological effect. See Tennessee Code 48-28-103
• Public benefit corporation: means a domestic corporation which becomes by operation of law a public benefit corporation pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Public benefit provisions: means the provisions of a charter as described in §. See Tennessee Code 48-28-103
• Public organic document: means the document, if any, that is filed of public record to create an unincorporated entity. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• 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
• Registered office: means the place in this state designated in the articles as the registered office of the LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Religious corporation: means a public benefit or mutual benefit corporation organized and operating primarily or exclusively for religious purposes. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• 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: means a governor, manager, employee or other agent of a foreign LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• 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
• 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 person who holds the office of secretary of state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Series: means a category of membership interests, within a class of membership interests, that have some of the same rights and preferences as other membership interests within the same class, but that differ in one (1) or more rights and preferences from another category of membership interests within that class. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• 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.
• Share: means the unit into which the proprietary interests in a corporation are divided. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Shareholder: means the person in whose name shares are registered in the records of a corporation or the beneficial owner of shares to the extent of the rights granted by a nominee certificate on file with a corporation. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• 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
• 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.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Subscription: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Subsidiary: means a corporation more than fifty percent (50%) of whose outstanding voting shares are owned by its parent and/or the parent's other wholly-owned subsidiaries. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Survivor: means the corporation or unincorporated entity that is in existence immediately after consummation of a merger or entity conversion pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• Survivor: means the corporation or unincorporated entity that is in existence immediately after consummation of a merger or entity conversion pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Transfer: means an assignment, conveyance, deed, bill of sale, lease, mortgage, security interest, encumbrance, gift and transfer by operation of law. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Unincorporated entity: means an organization or artificial legal person that either has a separate legal existence or has the power to acquire an estate in real property in its own name and that is not any of the following: a domestic or foreign business or nonprofit corporation, an estate, a trust, a state, the United States, or a foreign government. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• 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.
• Voting group: means all shares of one (1) or more classes or series that under the charter or chapters 11-27 of this title are entitled to vote and be counted together collectively on a matter at a meeting of shareholders. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
• Voting memberships: means memberships that entitle their holders to vote unconditionally in the election of directors. See Tennessee Code 48-61-101
• Voting power: means the total number of votes entitled to be cast for the election of directors at the time the determination of voting power is made, excluding a vote which is contingent upon the happening of a condition or event that has not occurred at the time. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
• Voting shares: means shares that entitle their holders to vote unconditionally in the election of directors. See Tennessee Code 48-21-101
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• 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