--- name: tn-quality-check description: > This skill should be used to QC, review, or validate a Tennessee court document before filing. Triggers include "QC this Tennessee document", "review my Tennessee filing", "check this motion before I file it in Tennessee", "validate this Tennessee affidavit", "audit this Tennessee packet", "Tennessee pre-filing review", "run a quality check on my Tennessee filing", "check my Davidson Chancery motion", "is my General Sessions paperwork ready to file". Runs a two-pass check: (1) format pass — Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10.01 caption components, 10.02 numbered paragraphs, 10.03 exhibits, Rule 11 signature, Rule 5 certificate of service, redaction of personal identifiers; (2) content pass — pro-se drafting framework satisfaction (relief stated, rule cited, facts stated, conclusion offered), required-component completeness, packet consistency. Lighter touch than `tn-fact-check` (which goes deep on evidentiary citations and sworn-versus-argued alignment). version: 0.1.0 --- # Tennessee Pre-Filing Quality Check > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** This skill detects errors in form and > structural completeness. It does not assess substantive legal > sufficiency. Verify against current rules and the filing court's > local rules before filing. Use this skill as the **last step** before filing any Tennessee court document. Two passes, plus a packet-consistency sweep. ## A note on Tennessee format authority Tennessee has **no single statewide page-limit, margin, or font rule.** Form is governed by: - **Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10** — caption, numbered paragraphs, exhibits - **Tenn. R. Civ. P. 11** — signature - **Tenn. R. Civ. P. 5** — certificate of service - Redaction of personal identifiers (verify the current electronic- filing / redaction rule of the filing court) Page limits, margins, font, line spacing, and chambers-copy requirements are set by **per-county local rules**. This skill checks the Rule 10 / 11 / 5 components that are statewide and **flags typography and page-limit items as WARN — local-rule matters to confirm with the venue.** ## Pass 1 — Format For a generated filing, run `scripts/format-check.py` first: ``` python3 plugins/tn-court-docs/scripts/format-check.py path/to/filing.docx ``` The format-check script validates the marketplace common-practice defaults (US Letter, conventional margins, 12-point body, double or 1.5x spacing, footer with page numbering) and the **Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10.01 caption components**. Because Tennessee sets no statewide typography rule, the script emits **WARN** (not FAIL) where a value is a local-rule matter — resolve those by checking the venue's local rules. Resolve any **FAIL** from the format check before continuing. ### Format pass — non-`.docx` (markdown / text drafts) Verify manually: - **Caption (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10.01)** — court and county (e.g., "IN THE CHANCERY COURT FOR DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE"), party names, docket / file number, and the title designation per Rule 7.01 - **Title** — centered, identifying the document - **Numbered paragraphs (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10.02)** — sequential, each averment limited to a single set of circumstances - **Exhibits (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10.03)** — a copy of any written instrument that is an exhibit is attached - **Signature block (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 11)** — name, address, phone, email, and **BPR # (Board of Professional Responsibility number)** if an attorney, or the **"Pro Se" / "Self-Represented"** designation if not - **Certificate of Service (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 5)** — date, method, and each recipient - **Line numbering + footer present** (WARN — confirm whether the local rules require line numbering; many Tennessee courts do not) - **Redaction** of personal identifiers (SSNs, financial-account numbers, minors' full names) per the venue's redaction rule ## Pass 2 — Content The content check applies the **pro-se drafting framework**. ### For a motion / memorandum: - [ ] **Relief stated clearly** in the opening paragraph - [ ] **Rule or statute citation** that grants the relief (e.g., Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.02(6); Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56; Tenn. Code Ann. § ___) - [ ] **Numbered factual paragraphs** with record cites (affidavit ¶, complaint ¶, exhibit, admission) - [ ] **Application of controlling authority** — case law applied to the facts, not merely strung together - [ ] **Counter-arguments addressed** - [ ] **Specific conclusion** — what exactly should the court do? - [ ] **Proposed order attached / referenced** - [ ] **Notice of Hearing** prepared and, for a Rule 56 motion, set **at least 30 days** after service (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.04) ### For an affidavit: - [ ] **Personal-knowledge foundation** in the opening paragraph - [ ] **Numbered factual paragraphs** — facts only, no argument - [ ] **Exhibit references** match the attached exhibits - [ ] **Jurat** — sworn before a notary (Tennessee affidavits are sworn; an unsworn declaration is not a substitute unless the rule or statute permits one — verify) - [ ] **Date and place** of execution - [ ] For a **business-records** affidavit, the custodian / qualified-witness foundation under Tenn. R. Evid. 803(6) ### For a proposed order: - [ ] **Caption identical** to the underlying motion - [ ] **Findings (if any) separate from the ordering clause** - [ ] **Ordering clause mirrors** the motion's prayer for relief - [ ] **Specific dates / amounts** filled in or bracketed for the judge - [ ] **Judge signature line** at the foot; in many courts an **"APPROVED AS TO FORM"** line for opposing counsel (see `tn-submit-order`) ### For an answer: - [ ] **Each paragraph of the complaint addressed** (admit / deny / lack knowledge — no skipping) - [ ] **Affirmative defenses pleaded** (statute of limitations, payment, lack of standing, etc.) - [ ] **Compulsory counterclaims** pleaded - [ ] **Timeliness** — answer due **30 days** after service of the summons and complaint (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01) ## Pass 3 — Packet consistency If filing a packet (motion + affidavit + proposed order + certificate of service): - [ ] **Same caption** across all documents — court (Circuit / Chancery / General Sessions), county, party names, docket number - [ ] **Same document title** referenced in the motion's certificate of service and the proposed order - [ ] **Dates align** — certificate-of-service date matches signature date on the motion; affidavit jurat date is consistent - [ ] **Relief sought matches** between motion prayer and proposed order ordering clause (item by item) - [ ] **All referenced exhibits** attached (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10.03) ## Pre-flight checklist | Check | Done | |-------|------| | `scripts/format-check.py` run; no FAIL (WARN items confirmed against local rules) | ☐ | | Caption shows correct court, county, party names, docket number | ☐ | | Numbered paragraphs sequential (Rule 10.02) | ☐ | | Exhibits attached (Rule 10.03) | ☐ | | Signature block has BPR # (attorney) or "Pro Se" designation (Rule 11) | ☐ | | Certificate of Service shows method, date, recipients (Rule 5) | ☐ | | Personal identifiers redacted | ☐ | | Proposed Order drafted as a separate document | ☐ | | Notice of Hearing prepared; Rule 56 hearing set 30+ days out | ☐ | | Local-rule page limit / typography confirmed for the venue | ☐ | | `tn-fact-check` deep audit run (if high-stakes filing) | ☐ | ## Common Tennessee pre-filing failures 1. **Assuming a statewide page limit.** There is none — page limits are local. Confirm the filing court's local rules before trusting a number. 2. **Rule 56 hearing set too soon.** Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.04 requires the motion be served **at least 30 days before the hearing**; the adverse party responds no later than 5 days before. A short notice gets the hearing continued or the motion stricken. 3. **Missing BPR number or pro-se designation** in the Rule 11 signature block. 4. **Wrong court for the amount.** General Sessions civil jurisdiction caps at **$25,000** (Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-501); forcible entry & detainer is unlimited. Filing an over-cap money claim in General Sessions is a venue error. 5. **Exhibit referenced but not attached** (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10.03). 6. **Affidavit not actually sworn** — an unsigned or un-notarized "affidavit" carries no evidentiary weight. ## Composition - For the deep evidentiary-citation and sworn-vs-argued review: `tn-fact-check` - For format generation and the Rule 10 / 11 / 5 baseline: `tn-statewide-format` - For drafting each component: `tn-draft-motion`, `tn-draft-declaration`, `tn-draft-order`, `tn-draft-note` - For deadline arithmetic (Rule 6.01 / 6.05; Tenn. Code Ann. § 15-1-101 holidays): `tn-deadlines` - For court-specific local-rule overlay: `tn-davidson`, `tn-shelby`, `tn-knox`, `tn-hamilton`, `tn-county-courts`, `tn-general-sessions` - For the final filing step: `tn-file-packet` ## References - `tn-statewide-format` for the Tenn. R. Civ. P. 10 / 11 / 5 baseline and the local-rule typography caveat - `tn-law-references` for canonical Tenn. R. Civ. P. and Tenn. R. Evid. text - Always confirm current local rules of the filing court — this skill checks statewide components and flags local-rule items as WARN.