Tenn. R. Civ. P. 4.01

As amended through November 4, 2024

Rule 4.01 - Summons; Issuance; By Whom Served; Sanction for Delay

(1) Upon the filing of the complaint, the clerk of the court shall promptly issue the required summons and cause it, with necessary copies of the complaint and summons, to be delivered for service to any person authorized to serve process. This person shall serve the summons, and the return endorsed thereon shall be proof of the time and manner of service. A summons may be issued for service in any county against any defendant, and separate or additional summonses may be issued against any defendant upon request of plaintiff. Nothing in this rule shall affect existing laws with respect to venue.

(2) A summons and complaint may be served by any person who is not a party and is not less than 18 years of age. The process server must be identified by name and address on the return.

(3) If a plaintiff or counsel for plaintiff (including third-party plaintiffs) intentionally causes delay of prompt issuance of a summons or prompt service of a summons, the filing of the complaint (or third-party complaint) will not toll any applicable statutes of limitation or repose.

Tenn. R. Civ. P. 4.01

Added by order filed February 1, 1995, effective July 1, 1995; by order effective July 1, 1997; b order effective July 1, 1998; and by order filed December 10, 2003; effective July 1, 2004; and by order filed December 29, 2015, effective July 1, 2016.

Advisory Commission Comment [2016].

4.01(1): Rule 4.01(1) previously required the trial court clerk, upon the filing of the complaint, to "forthwith issue the required summons and cause it, with necessary copies of the complaint and summons to be delivered for service to any person authorized to serve process." Subdivision (1) is amended by substituting the word "promptly" for the word "forthwith." This change is intended to emphasize that the clerk must issue the summons contemporaneously with, or soon after, the filing of the complaint. Because subdivision (1) requires the clerk to "promptly" issue the summons and deliver it for service, the clerk is not permitted to delay issuing the summons (or delivering it for service) at the request of the plaintiff or plaintiff's counsel.

4.01(3): Subdivision (3) previously provided: "If a plaintiff or counsel for plaintiff (including third-party plaintiffs) intentionally causes delay of prompt issuance of a summons or prompt service of a summons, filing of the complaint (or third-party complaint) is ineffective." Because the meaning of the word "ineffective" was not clear, subdivision (3) is amended to provide that, under the specific circumstances covered by the subdivision, the filing of the complaint "will not toll any applicable statutes of limitation or repose." The underlying rationale for subdivision (3) is that a person or entity named as a defendant in a complaint is entitled to learn without undue delay that the person or entity has been sued; although good-faith efforts to serve the defendant can necessarily take some time, subdivision (3) means that the plaintiff or plaintiff's counsel cannot intentionally delay the issuance or service of process for tactical reasons.

NOTE: For the Advisory Commission Comments, please refer to Rule 4.09.