Tennessee § 28-3-104 - Personal tort actions; actions against certain professionals.

§ 28-3-104. Personal tort actions; actions against certain professionals.

Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2), the following actions shall be commenced within one (1) year after the cause of action accrued: Actions for libel, injuries to the person, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, or breach of marriage promise; Civil actions for compensatory or punitive damages, or both, brought under the federal civil rights statutes; and Actions for statutory penalties. A cause of action listed in subdivision (a)(1) shall be commenced within two (2) years after the cause of action accrued, if: Criminal charges are brought against any person alleged to have caused or contributed to the injury; The conduct, transaction, or occurrence that gives rise to the cause of action for civil damages is the subject of a criminal prosecution commenced within one (1) year by: A law enforcement officer; A district attorney general; or A grand jury; and The cause of action is brought by the person injured by the criminal conduct against the party prosecuted for such conduct. This subsection (a) shall be strictly construed. For the purpose of this section, in products liability cases: The cause of action for injury to the person shall accrue on the date of the personal injury, not the date of the negligence or the sale of a product; No person shall be deprived of the right to maintain a cause of action until one (1) year from the date of the injury; and Under no circumstances shall the cause of action be barred before the person sustains an injury. Actions and suits against licensed public accountants, certified public accountants, or attorneys for malpractice shall be commenced within one (1) year after the cause of action accrued, whether the action or suit is grounded or based in contract or tort. In no event shall any action or suit against a licensed public accountant, certified public accountant or attorney be brought more than five (5) years after the date on which the act or omission occurred, except where there is fraudulent concealment on the part of the defendant, in which case the action or suit shall be commenced within one (1) year after discovery that the cause of action exists. Any action to recover damages against a real estate appraiser arising out of the appraiser's real estate appraisal activity shall be brought within one (1) year from a person’s discovery of the act or omission giving rise to the action, but in no event shall an action to recover damages against a real estate appraiser be brought more than five (5) years after the date the appraisal was conducted. Code 1858, § 2772 (deriv. Acts 1715, ch. 27, § 5); Shan., § 4469; mod. Code 1932, § 8595; Acts 1967, ch. 283, § 1; 1969, ch. 28, § 1; 1969, ch. 293, §§ 1, 2; 1972, ch. 669, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 28-304; Acts 1990, ch. 970, § 2; 1990, ch. 1056, § 2; 2014, ch. 618, §§ 1, 2; 2015, ch. 388, § 1; 2017, ch. 234, § 1. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2014, ch. 618, § 3 provided that this act shall apply to causes of actions or suits for acts or omissions that occurred on or after July 1, 2014. Acts 2015, ch. 388, § 2 provided that the act, which amended (a), shall apply to causes of action accruing on or after July 1, 2015. Acts 2017, ch. 234, § 3 provided that the act, which added subsection (d), shall apply to actions accruing and appraisals conducted on or after July 1, 2017. Amendments. The 2017 amendment added (d). Effective Dates. Acts 2017, ch. 234, § 3. July 1, 2017. Cross-References. Abolition of common law tort action of alienation of affections, § 36-3-701 . Abolition of common law torts of seduction and criminal conversation, § 39-13-508 . Limitation of actions, counterclaim or third party complaint, § 28-1-114 . Limitation of actions, Uniform Contribution Among Tort-Feasors Act, § 29-11-104 . Not-for-profit board members, immunity from suit, § 48-58-601 . Textbooks. Pritchard on Wills and Administration of Estates (4th ed., Phillips and Robinson), § 637. Tennessee Jurisprudence, 3 Tenn. Juris., Attorney and Client, § 12; 4 Tenn. Juris., Automobiles, § 36; 6 Tenn. Juris., Constitutional Law, § 71; 10 Tenn. Juris., Employer and Employee, § 65; 17 Tenn. Juris., Libel and Slander, § 33; 18 Tenn. Juris., Limitations of Actions, §§ 5, 14, 17, 25, 34; 18 Tenn. Juris., Malicious Prosecution, § 7; 22 Tenn. Juris., Seduction, § 3. Law Reviews. A Pragmatic Approach to Improving Tort Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1447 (2001). Accidental Torts, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1225 (2001). Accrual of Cause of Action in Products Liability and Other Tort Actions, 42 Tenn. L. Rev. 593. Age Discrimination: A Growth Industry (Charles H. Anderson), 25 No. 6 Tenn. B.J. 24 (1989). As a Matter of Law: Summary Judgment in Medical Malpractice Litigation in Tennessee, 15 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 55 (1984). Attorney and Client — Negligence — Limitation of Action, 34 Tenn. L. Rev. 507. Attorney Malpractice — The Accrual of a Cause of Action, 42 Tenn. L. Rev. 784. Civil Procedure and Evidence — Tennessee Survey 1970 (Jerry J. Phillips), 38 Tenn. L. Rev. 127. Civil Procedure — Carr v. Borchers: Tennessee's Nonresident Motorist Statute Revisited, 22 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 357 (1992). Civil Rights — Statutes of Limitations for Section 1983 Actions — A Definitive Answer in Wilson v. Garcia?, 17 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 127 (1986). Conditional Privilege in Tennessee (Donald F. Paine), 30 Tenn. L. Rev. 569. Conflict of Laws — Limitation of Actions — Lex Loci or Lex Fori, 23 Tenn. L. Rev. 1038. Conflict of Laws — 1957 Tennessee Survey (John W. Wade), 10 Vand. L. Rev. 995. Constitutional Challenge to Medical Malpractice Review Boards, 46 Tenn. L. Rev. 607. Constitutional Law — Limitation of Actions — Application of the Vested Rights Doctrine (David A. King), 51 Tenn. L. Rev. 129 (1983). Constitutional Law — Retroactive Application of a Statute Removing a Statute of Limitations Bar, 41 Tenn. L. Rev. 914. Contract — Tort — Breach of Duty Resulting in Property Damage — Limitation of Action, 34 Tenn. L. Rev. 297. Contracts and Sales Law in Tennessee: A Survey and Commentary: III Sales (John A. Sebert, Jr.), 45 Tenn. L. Rev. 391. Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Negligence Standard, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 893 (2001). Counterclaims and Statutes of Limitations — A Critical Commentary on Present Tennessee Law (John L. Sobieski, Jr.), 42 Tenn. L. Rev. 291. Domestic Relations — Alienation of Affections — Statute of Limitations, 23 Tenn. L. Rev. 1046. Domestic Relations — 1955 Tennessee Survey (William J. Harbison), 8 Vand. L. Rev. 1004. Duty Rules, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 767 (2001). Economic Loss in Strict Liability — Beyond the Realm of 402 A (Joe E. Manuel and Gregory B. Richards), 16 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 315 (1986). Employment Law — Carr v. United Parcel Service: Individual Liability Under the Tennessee Human Rights Act, 29 U. Mem. L. Rev. 245 (1998). Has the Pendulum Swung Too Far? The Status of the Discovery Rule in Medical Malpractice Cases in Tennessee, 30 U. Mem. L. Rev. 625 (2000). Intent and Recklessness in Tort: The Practical Craft of Restating Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1133 (2001). Interpretive Construction, Systematic Consistency, and Criterial Norms in Tort Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1157 (2001). Legal Cause: Cause-In-Fact and the Scope of Liability for Consequences, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 941 (2001). Legal Malpractice: The Profession's Dirty Little Secret (Manuel R. Ramos), 47 Vand. L. Rev. 1657 (1994). Legal Profession — Attorney and Client, 24 Tenn. L. Rev. 611. Limitation of Actions — Accrual of Action in Malpractice Cases, 13 Tenn. L. Rev. 131. Limitation of Actions — Statutory Construction — “Act or Omission Complained Of,” 6 Vand. L. Rev. 794. Malpractice in Dealing with Medical Malpractice, 6 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 437. Mass Tort Litigation in Tennessee (Paul Campbell, III and Hugh J. Moore, Jr.), 53 Tenn. L. Rev. 221 (1986). Medical Malpractice (Ray L. Jenkins), 26 Tenn. L. Rev. 514. Non-Utilitarian Negligence Norms and the Reasonable Person Standard, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 863 (2001). On Determining Negligence Norms, the Reasonable Person Standard, and the Jury, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 813 (2001). Once More Into the Bramble Bush: Duty, Causal Contribution, and the Extent of Legal Responsibility, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1071 (2001). Pleadings, Motions and Pre-Trial Procedure, 4 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 219. Please Pass the Biscuits and Gravamen (Donald F. Paine), 29 No. 6 Tenn. B.J. 20 (1993). Procedure — Limitation of Actions — Tolling of Statute by Fraudulent Concealment, 25 Tenn. L. Rev. 284. Procedure — 1963 Tennessee Survey (William J. Harbison), 17 Vand. L. Rev. 1108. Products Liability of Retailers and Manufacturers in Tennessee (Dix W. Noel), 32 Tenn. L. Rev. 207. Products Liability — Lessors as Warrantors of Fitness in Tennessee, 16 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 303 (1986). Protecting Yourself from Statutes of Repose, 50 Tenn. B.J. 33 (2014). Purpose, Belief, and Recklessness: Pruning the Restatement's (Third) Definition of Intent, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1165 (2001). Recent Developments in Tennessee and Federal Procedure (Donald F. Paine), 36 Tenn. L. Rev. 276. Recent Developments in the Law of Accrual and Limitations of Actions in Tennessee as Applied to Products Liability Cases (Michael E. Hewgley), 2 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 105. Removing Emotional Harm from the Core of Tort Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 751 (2001). Restatement (Third) of Torts: General Principles and the Prescription of Masculine Order, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1367 (2001). Restating Duty, Breach, and Proximate Cause in Negligence Law: Descriptive Theory and the Rule of Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1039 (2001). Savings Statutes v. Statutes of Repose: A Decision Is Reached with Cronin v. Howe (Philip E. Mischke), 32 No. 1 Tenn. B.J. 21 (1996). Scientific Uncertainty and Causation in Tort Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1011 (2001). Statute of Limitations — Personal Injury, Property Damage and Breach of Warranty, 8 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 803. Statute of Limitations — Professional Negligence — Foreign Objects Left in Patient's Body, 17 Vand. L. Rev. 1577. Statute of Limitations: Their Selection and Application in Products Liability Cases (Larry T. Thrailkill), 23 Vand. L. Rev. 775. Stealing Love in Tennessee: The Thief Goes Free, 56 Tenn. L. Rev. 629 (1989). Survey of Civil Procedure in Tennessee — 1977, IV. Pretrial Procedure (John L. Sobieski, Jr.), 46 Tenn. L. Rev. 308. Tennessee Human Rights Act: Court of Appeals addresses limitations period of THRA (Timothy S. Bland and Licia M. Williams), 38 No. 2 Tenn. B.J. 20 (2002). Tennessee Legislature Abolishes Privity Requirement and Clarifies Statute of Limitations in Product Liability Cases, 3 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 212. Tennessee Survey of the Law — Indemnity in Tort, 7 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 307. The Advent of Implied Warranty of Workmanlike Construction, 12 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 367 (1982). The Duty Concept in Negligence Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 787 (2001). The Hand Formula in the Draft Restatement (Third) of Torts: Encompassing Fairness as Well as Efficiency Values, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 901 (2001). The John W. Wade Conference on the Third Restatement of Torts, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 639 (2001). The Nonparty Tortfeasor (June F. Entman), 23 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 105 (1992). The Passing of Palsgraf?, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 803 (2001). The Restatement of Torts and the Courts, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1439 (2001). The Restatement (Third) and the Place of Duty in Negligence Law, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 657 (2001). The Tennessee Employer's Wrongful Discharge and the Union's Breach of the Duty of Fair Representation — Does Tennessee Need a Statute of Limitations? (Marsha H. Ashlock), 20 No. 2 Tenn. B.J. 15 (1984). The Tennessee Products Liability Act of 1978. (Irvin L. Tankersley), 14-4 Tenn. B.J. 11. The Tennessee Saving Statute, 29 Tenn. L. Rev. 287. The Theory of Enterprise Liability and Common Law Strict Liability, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1285 (2001). The Theory of Tort Doctrine and the Restatement (Third) of Torts, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1413 (2001). The Trouble with Negligence, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1187 (2001). The Unexpected Persistence of Negligence, 1980 — 2000, 54 Vand. L. Rev. 1337 (2001). Torts — Attorney's Liability — No Liability to Disappointed Beneficiaries for Negligent Handling of Will, 4 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 188. Torts — Libel — Single Publication Rule Adopted — Statute of Limitations Starts Running When Libel Is First Distributed in County in Which Suit Is Brought, 4 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 193. Torts — Limitations of Actions — Application of the Four Year Statute in Breach of Warranty Actions, 38 Tenn. L. Rev. 293. Torts — Medical Malpractice — Statute of Limitations and the Discovery Rule in Tennessee, 42 Tenn. L. Rev. 604. Torts — 1956 Tennessee Survey (John W. Wade), 9 Vand. L. Rev. 1137. Torts — Products Liability — Statute of Limitations, 36 Tenn. L. Rev. 416. Torts — Statute of Limitations — Actions for Personal Injury Resulting from Faulty Construction of Building Does Not Accrue until Date of Injury, 2 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 231. Torts — Statute of Limitations — Employee Injured Using Employer's Equipment, 38 Tenn. L. Rev. 608. Torts — Statute of Limitations — Personal Injury — Defect in Real Estate Construction, 38 Tenn. L. Rev. 613. Torts — Taylor v. Beard: The Tennessee Supreme Court Declines Adoption of a Cause of Action for Loss of Parental Consortium in Personal Injury Cases, 34 U. Mem. L. Rev. 737 (2004). Torts — The Discovery Rule and the Statute of Limitations in Medical Malpractice Actions, 14 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 115 (1983). Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Tennessee (Phillip A. Fleissner), 38 Tenn. L. Rev. 391. Uninsured Motorist Insurance: Selected Tennessee Procedural Aspects, 10 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 746. Wrongful Death Actions in Tennessee (T.A. Smedley), 27 Tenn. L. Rev. 447. Wrongful Death in Tennessee — New Solutions to Recurring Problems, 9 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 85. Attorney General Opinions. Applicability, OAG 84-121, 1982 Tenn. AG LEXIS 220 (4/10/84).