Nashville Courthouse Guide for Personal Injury Claims

Personal injury lawsuits in Nashville are filed in Davidson County, which is part of Tennessee's 20th Judicial District. Tennessee venue rules generally require you to file in the county where the accident happened or where the defendant resides. If your accident occurred anywhere in Nashville or Davidson County, you file here.

Historic Davidson County Courthouse — 1 Public Square, Suite 302, Nashville, TN 37201. The Circuit Court Clerk's office handles civil filings. Phone: (615) 862-5181. Email: circuitclerksupport@jisnashville.gov. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The courthouse is an Art Deco building constructed in 1936-37 covering an entire city block in downtown Nashville. This is where you file circuit court lawsuits for claims exceeding $25,000.

Metropolitan General Sessions Court of Nashville-Davidson County — Justice A.A. Birch Building, 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1140, Nashville, TN 37201. General Sessions handles civil cases up to $25,000, including personal injury claims within that range. The Civil Division can be reached at (615) 862-5195. General Sessions has 11 divisions, each with an elected judge.

If your accident happened in a different county — for example, on I-24 heading toward Murfreesboro (Rutherford County) or on I-65 heading toward Bowling Green (Kentucky) — you may need to file in that county's court or under a different state's laws.

In Tennessee, a personal injury lawsuit begins by filing a Complaint with the Circuit Court Clerk. Your complaint must state the facts of the accident, identify each defendant, set out the legal basis for liability under Tennessee law, and specify the damages you seek. Tennessee follows notice pleading — your complaint must give the defendant fair notice of the claims and the grounds upon which they rest.

Tennessee requires pre-suit notice for medical malpractice claims (T.C.A. § 29-26-121) — you must give 60 days' written notice before filing. Standard personal injury claims (car accidents, slip and falls, premises liability) do not have a pre-suit notice requirement, but you must file within the 1-year statute of limitations.

After filing, you must serve each defendant with the complaint and summons. In Davidson County, service options include the Davidson County Sheriff's office ($42 per defendant), the Tennessee Secretary of State ($25, including clerk's seal), a private process server, or certified mail. The defendant has 30 days after service to file a responsive pleading. For questions about filing procedures, contact the Circuit Court Clerk at (615) 862-5181.

Filing fees in Davidson County are set by Tennessee statute and the Circuit Court Clerk's office. For a Category 1 tort case — which includes personal injury lawsuits — the filing fee is approximately $286.50 as of January 2026 (updated per Public Chapter 486, which increased the state litigation tax by $2.00). This includes state and county litigation taxes. Service of process through the Davidson County Sheriff costs $42 per defendant, bringing the total for a one-defendant personal injury case to roughly $328.50.

Additional fees include: cross-filings and counter-complaints at $102, certified copies at $5 each, regular copies at $0.50 per page, and preparing a record on appeal at $300. The e-filing system charges a processing fee of 2.25% for credit card or eCheck payments. Contact the Circuit Court Clerk at (615) 862-5181 for the most current fee schedule.

If you cannot afford the filing fee, Tennessee provides a process for filing as an indigent party (in forma pauperis). File a Uniform Civil Affidavit of Indigency with the court. If granted, filing fees and certain court costs are waived. Most personal injury attorneys in Nashville work on contingency — they advance filing fees and costs and recover them from your settlement or verdict.

Tennessee's General Sessions Court serves as both the small claims court and the lower-level civil court. In Davidson County, General Sessions handles civil disputes up to $25,000 (T.C.A. § 16-15-501). Attorney's fees, court costs, and discretionary costs are not included in the $25,000 calculation. If your personal injury damages total $25,000 or less, General Sessions is faster, less formal, and less expensive than circuit court.

General Sessions hearings are typically scheduled within 30 to 90 days. The process is streamlined — no jury trials, relaxed evidence rules, and shorter proceedings. Either party can appeal a General Sessions judgment to circuit court for a trial de novo (a completely new trial) within 10 days of the judgment. The Justice A.A. Birch Building at 408 2nd Avenue North houses the General Sessions Court.

If your damages exceed $25,000 — which is common for serious car accident injuries, especially when you add medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering — you must file in circuit court. Circuit court cases take longer (often 12 to 24 months to reach trial) but offer jury trials and no cap on recoverable damages. Most personal injury cases involving surgery, extended treatment, or permanent injury will exceed $25,000 and belong in circuit court.

Davidson County offers online case lookup through CaseLink at caselink.nashville.gov. CaseLink covers Circuit Court, Probate Court, and General Sessions Civil Division records with up-to-date docket entries. A CaseLink subscription costs $25 per month. A free CaseSearch option is also available through the Circuit Court Clerk's website with basic case lookup — it covers General Sessions Civil, Circuit Court, and Probate Court cases but does not include document images.

For Chancery Court records, use the search tool at chanceryclerkandmaster.nashville.gov/cases/public-records-search/, which contains records from May 1846 to present, with most records from 1997 onward available online. The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts also provides statewide court information at tncourts.gov.

If you cannot find your case online, contact the Circuit Court Clerk at (615) 862-5181 or visit the courthouse at 1 Public Square during business hours. Bring your case number if you have it, or the names of the parties and approximate filing date.

Davidson County Circuit and Criminal Courts use an electronic filing system accessible at efile.nashville.gov. Setting up an account is free. All filings must be submitted as unprotected PDF documents; proposed orders should be in Word format (.doc or .docx). Payment is accepted by e-check or debit/credit card, with a 2.25% processing fee charged by the third-party vendor.

The clerk's office reviews submissions, approves them, routes documents to the appropriate judge or staff, and electronically serves the other parties. For e-filing support, call (615) 862-4444 or email support@circuitsupport.freshdesk.com.

Self-represented parties may file all documents in person at 1 Public Square, Suite 302. Case initiation can be done either in person or through the e-filing system. Check the Circuit Court Clerk's website at circuitclerk.nashville.gov for the most current e-filing requirements and tutorials.

Tennessee's statute of limitations for personal injury claims is 1 year from the date of injury (T.C.A. § 28-3-104). This is one of the shortest deadlines in the country — most states give 2 to 3 years, and some give up to 6 years. In Tennessee, missing the 1-year deadline permanently bars your claim. The court will dismiss your case, and no exception applies for not knowing the law or not realizing you had a claim.

Limited exceptions exist. The deadline may extend to 2 years if criminal charges are brought against the person who caused your injury, the criminal prosecution is commenced within 1 year, and the civil action is brought against the same person. For minors, the statute of limitations is tolled (paused) until the child turns 18, at which point they have 1 year to file (T.C.A. § 28-1-106). The discovery rule may apply in cases where the injury was not immediately apparent.

For wrongful death, the deadline is also 1 year from the date of death (T.C.A. § 28-3-104). For property damage, the deadline is 3 years (T.C.A. § 28-3-105). If your accident was recent, do not wait. Consult an attorney immediately — the 1-year clock is ticking from the date of your accident, and building a strong case takes time.

Tennessee uses a modified comparative fault rule (T.C.A. § 29-11-103). Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. If a jury finds you 20% at fault and your damages are $100,000, you recover $80,000. The critical threshold is 50% — if you are found 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing.

Insurance companies routinely argue shared fault to reduce payouts. Common arguments in Nashville car accident cases include: you were speeding, you were distracted, you failed to wear a seatbelt, you ran a yellow light, or you failed to take evasive action. Tennessee's seatbelt law (T.C.A. § 55-9-603) does not allow failure to wear a seatbelt to be used as evidence of comparative fault in most cases — but other contributing factors can reduce your recovery.

The best protection against comparative fault arguments is thorough documentation. A police report with a clear fault determination, photographs of the scene, witness statements, and dashcam footage all make it harder for the defense to shift blame. If you were not at fault, the evidence should show it clearly.

If your injury was caused by the State of Tennessee or a state employee acting within the scope of employment, the Tennessee Claims Commission has exclusive jurisdiction (T.C.A. § 9-8-307). You cannot file in circuit court. Claims against the state must be filed with the Claims Commission within 1 year of the injury.

For claims against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson County or other local government entities, Tennessee's Governmental Tort Liability Act (T.C.A. § 29-20-101 et seq.) applies. Government entities are immune from suit except for specific categories, including injuries caused by negligent operation of motor vehicles, dangerous conditions on government property, and defective plans or designs. You must file a written notice of claim with the government entity before filing a lawsuit. The statute of limitations for government tort claims is 12 months from when the cause of action arises (T.C.A. § 29-20-305).

Damages against government entities in Tennessee are capped at $300,000 per person, $700,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, and $100,000 for property damage under T.C.A. § 29-20-403. The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that the immunity waiver covers only ordinary negligence, not gross negligence or recklessness. Government tort claims have strict procedural requirements — consult an attorney immediately if a government entity may be responsible.

If you were injured in Nashville and you are considering filing a lawsuit, get your free Injury Claim Check. You will answer a few quick questions about your accident and injuries, and we will give you a personalized report that includes Tennessee's filing deadline for your specific claim, whether your case would likely land in General Sessions or circuit court, and whether connecting with a personal injury attorney makes sense for your situation.

Tennessee's 1-year statute of limitations is unforgiving. Every day that passes is a day closer to losing your right to file. Our Injury Claim Check is free, confidential, and gives you the information you need to make an informed decision about what comes next.