Tennessee § 20-12-127 Pauper's oath

Tennessee Statutes

§ 20-12-127 — Pauper's oath

Tennessee § 20-12-127

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This text of Tennessee § 20-12-127 (Pauper's oath) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-12-127 (2026).

Text

(a)Any civil action may be commenced by a resident of this state without giving security as required by law for costs and without the payment of litigation taxes due by:

(1)Filing the following oath of poverty: I, ______________, do solemnly swear under penalties of perjury, that owing to my poverty, I am not able to bear the expense of the action which I am about to commence, and that I am justly entitled to the relief sought, to the best of my belief; and (2) Filing an accompanying affidavit of indigency as prescribed by court rule.

(b)The filing of a civil action without paying the costs or taxes or giving security for the costs or taxes does not relieve the person filing the action from responsibility for the costs or taxes but suspends their collection until taxed by the court.

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(a) Any civil action may be commenced by a resident of this state without giving security as required by law for costs and without the payment of litigation taxes due by: (1) Filing the following oath of poverty: I, ______________, do solemnly swear under penalties of perjury, that owing to my poverty, I am not able to bear the expense of the action which I am about to commence, and that I am justly entitled to the relief sought, to the best of my belief; and (2) Filing an accompanying affidavit of indigency as prescribed by court rule. (b) The filing of a civil action without paying the costs or taxes or giving security for the costs or taxes does not relieve the person filing the action from responsibility for the costs or taxes but suspends their collection until taxed by the court.

Legislative History

Code 1858, § 3192 (deriv. Acts 1821, ch. 22, §§ 1, 2; 1829, ch. 88, § 1); Acts 1891, ch. 221, § 1; 1897, ch. 100, § 1; 1901, ch. 126, § 1; 1903, ch. 197, § 1; Shan., § 4928; Code 1932, § 9080; Acts 1957, ch. 20, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), §20-1629; Acts 1983, ch. 393, § 1; 1995, ch. 242, § 1.