--- name: tn-deadlines description: > Use when the user asks about timing or deadlines in a Tennessee civil case. Triggers include "when is my answer due in Tennessee", "Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6 time computation", "Rule 6.01", "Rule 6.05 mail rule", "deadline in Tennessee court", "Tennessee court holidays", "Tenn. Code Ann. § 15-1-101 holidays", "does Tennessee observe Good Friday", "is the day after Thanksgiving a court holiday in Tennessee", "Tennessee statute of limitations", "SOL on a contract in Tennessee", "10 days to appeal General Sessions", "Rule 59 deadline", "summary judgment 30-day notice". Computes calendar-day deadlines under Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.01, applies the 3-day mail add-on under Rule 6.05, rolls forward off Saturdays / Sundays / Tenn. Code Ann. § 15-1-101 legal holidays, and maps named rules (answer-due, general-sessions-appeal 10 days, summary-judgment-service, motion to alter or amend, statutes of limitations) to days plus authority. version: 0.1.0 --- # Tennessee Case Deadlines > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** This skill computes deadlines. Independently > verify in the cited rule or statute, confirm the venue's local rules > and any standing order, and treat no computed date as final without > checking. Use this skill to compute deadlines under **Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.01** (time computation), the Tennessee legal-holiday list (**Tenn. Code Ann. § 15-1-101**), and the named rules across the Tenn. R. Civ. P. and the Tennessee Code. ## Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.01 — time computation To count a period stated in the Tenn. R. Civ. P. or in a Tennessee statute: 1. **Exclude** the day of the act or event that starts the period (e.g., the service date). 2. **Include** the last day of the period, **unless** it is a **Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday** — in which case the period runs to the **end of the next day** that is not one of those. ### Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.05 — the 3-day mail add-on When a party has a right or duty to act within a prescribed period **after service**, and service was made **by mail**, **3 days** are added to the prescribed period. Apply 6.05 **after** the underlying count, and confirm whether the venue treats electronic service the same way. > Frame every day count below as the **current** rule. Confirm the > number against the verbatim rule text in `tn-law-references` before > treating any computed date as final. ## Tennessee legal holidays — Tenn. Code Ann. § 15-1-101 | Holiday | Date rule | |---|---| | New Year's Day | January 1 (fixed) | | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | 3rd Monday in January | | Washington Day (Presidents' Day) | 3rd Monday in February | | **Good Friday** | Friday before Easter (**movable**) — Tennessee **does** observe | | Memorial / Decoration Day | Last Monday in May | | **Juneteenth** | June 19 (fixed) — in the statute | | Independence Day | July 4 (fixed) | | Labor Day | 1st Monday in September | | **Columbus Day** | 2nd Monday in October — Tennessee **does** observe | | Veterans' Day | November 11 (fixed) | | Thanksgiving | 4th Thursday in November | | Christmas | December 25 (fixed) | Plus any day proclaimed by the Governor or President, and statewide election days. > **Two Tennessee specifics to flag.** Tennessee's § 15-1-101 list > **includes Good Friday** (movable, the Friday before Easter) and > **Columbus Day** (2nd Monday in October). Both count for Rule 6.01 > roll-forward. > **Substitution.** A holiday falling on **Sunday** is observed the > **following Monday**; a holiday falling on **Saturday** is observed > the **preceding Friday**. > ⚠ **Day after Thanksgiving is NOT a § 15-1-101 legal holiday.** It > is often an administrative state-employee day off, but it does > **not** trigger the Rule 6.01 roll-forward unless a court is closed > by order. Do not treat it as a holiday for deadline arithmetic. ## Named rules — quick reference Run `python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --rules` for the full list. The most commonly invoked: | Rule key | Days | Authority | |---|---|---| | `answer-due` | +30 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01 | | `answer-after-12-denial` | +15 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01 | | `discovery-response` | +30 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 33 / 34 / 36 | | `discovery-response-predefault` | +45 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 33 / 34 / 36 (defendant served before answering) | | `rfa-deemed-admitted` | +30 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 36.01 | | `summary-judgment-service` | -30 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.04 (motion served ≥ 30 days before hearing) | | `mail-add-on` | +3 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.05 | | `motion-alter-amend` | +30 | Tenn. R. Civ. P. 59.04 (non-extendable) | | `general-sessions-appeal` | +10 | Tenn. Code Ann. § 27-5-108 (de novo to Circuit) | | `sol-contract` | +6 years | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-109 | | `sol-ucc-goods` | +4 years | Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-2-725 | | `sol-personal-injury` | +1 year | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 | | `sol-property-damage` | +3 years | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-105 | | `fdcpa-validation` | +30 | 15 U.S.C. § 1692g(a)(3) | | `fdcpa-sol` | +1 year | 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(d) | The script encodes the day counts and the holiday roll-forward; always confirm an unusual number against the cited rule. Some statutory periods are stated in **years** — compute those on the calendar (anniversary) date, not as a fixed day-count. ## Two non-extendable / short windows to watch - **Tenn. R. Civ. P. 59.04 motion to alter or amend** — must be filed within **30 days after entry** of the judgment. This window is **non-extendable** (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.02 cannot enlarge it). A timely Rule 59 motion tolls the time to appeal; a late one does not. See `tn-post-judgment`. - **General Sessions de novo appeal** — a party must appeal a General Sessions civil judgment to Circuit Court within **10 days** of entry (Tenn. Code Ann. § 27-5-108). Miss it and the judgment stands. See `tn-post-judgment` and `tn-general-sessions`. ## Statutes of limitations — primary Tennessee claims (Title 28) | Claim | SOL | Authority | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | Written contracts / open accounts | **6 years** | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-109 | Most credit-card debt; accrual on open accounts is fact-dependent | | Sale of goods (UCC) | **4 years** | Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-2-725 | Can displace the 6-year contract period | | Personal injury / personal torts | **1 year** | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 | 2-year extension where criminal charges arise from the same conduct (§ 28-3-104(a)(2)) | | Property damage | **3 years** | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-105 | | | Slander | 6 months | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 | | | Libel | 1 year | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-103 | | | FDCPA | 1 year from violation | 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(d) | Applies in Tennessee courts | A **sworn account** under Tenn. Code Ann. § 24-5-107 is an evidentiary burden-shifting device, **not** a separate SOL. SOL accrual, tolling, and any revival by part-payment or written acknowledgment are **fact-dependent** — verify against current law for the specific claim. ## Examples ### "When is my answer due if I was served personally in Nashville on Friday, March 14, 2025?" ``` $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --from 2025-03-14 --rule answer-due Answer due (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01) Deadline: Monday, April 14, 2025 From: Friday, March 14, 2025 30 calendar days after; rolled forward off any Sat/Sun/§ 15-1-101 holiday Authority: Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01 ``` ### "How long do I have to appeal a General Sessions judgment entered Tuesday, June 3, 2025?" ``` $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --from 2025-06-03 --rule general-sessions-appeal De novo appeal to Circuit Court Deadline: Friday, June 13, 2025 From: Tuesday, June 03, 2025 10 calendar days after Authority: Tenn. Code Ann. § 27-5-108 ``` ## How `tn-deadlines` composes with the scripts The body above is the reference; the arithmetic lives in `scripts/case-calendar.py`, which: - Encodes the Tenn. Code Ann. § 15-1-101 holidays (including the movable **Good Friday**, **Columbus Day**, and **Juneteenth**, and **excluding** the day after Thanksgiving) - Computes the holiday set for any year and the roll-forward rule - Applies the Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.05 3-day mail add-on - Maps named rule keys to `(days, description, authority)` Use `scripts/case-calendar.py --rules` for the canonical list and `scripts/case-calendar.py --from YYYY-MM-DD --rule ` for a specific computation. ## Composition - For format: `tn-statewide-format` - For the substantive rule: `tn-law-references` - For first-response timing: `tn-first-30-days` - For discovery timing: `tn-discovery` - For post-judgment timing (Rule 59 / 60, appeal): `tn-post-judgment` - For matter-specific deadlines: `tn-family-law`, `tn-consumer-debt`, `tn-personal-injury` ## References - `references/rule-6-time-computation.md` — Tenn. R. Civ. P. 6.01 / 6.05 with notes - `references/tca-15-1-101-holidays.md` — the holidays statute with year-by-year computed dates - `references/sol-table.md` — SOL chart by claim type with authority - `references/named-rules.md` — full list of rule keys with authority