Tennessee § 63-12-126 Animal cruelty reporting - Immunity from civil or criminal liability

Tennessee Statutes

§ 63-12-126 — Animal cruelty reporting - Immunity from civil or criminal liability

Tennessee § 63-12-126

Title63

This text of Tennessee § 63-12-126 (Animal cruelty reporting - Immunity from civil or criminal liability) 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. § 63-12-126 (2026).

Text

(a)Notwithstanding § 63-12-124 or another provision of law to the contrary, a licensed veterinarian, while acting in a professional capacity and in a current veterinarian-client-patient relationship, having reasonable cause to believe that an animal has been subjected to animal cruelty in violation of § 39-14-202 , § 39-14-214 , or § 39-14-217 , may make or cause to be made a report of such violation to the commissioner of agriculture or the commissioner's designee, an animal control officer, a law enforcement agency, or a district attorney and may appear and testify in a judicial or administrative proceeding concerning the care of the animal.

(b)A licensed veterinarian or person participating in the making of a report pursuant to subsection (a) is not in breach of veterinarian-client-pa

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(a) Notwithstanding § 63-12-124 or another provision of law to the contrary, a licensed veterinarian, while acting in a professional capacity and in a current veterinarian-client-patient relationship, having reasonable cause to believe that an animal has been subjected to animal cruelty in violation of § 39-14-202 , § 39-14-214 , or § 39-14-217 , may make or cause to be made a report of such violation to the commissioner of agriculture or the commissioner's designee, an animal control officer, a law enforcement agency, or a district attorney and may appear and testify in a judicial or administrative proceeding concerning the care of the animal. (b) A licensed veterinarian or person participating in the making of a report pursuant to subsection (a) is not in breach of veterinarian-client-patient confidentiality by making the report or participating in a judicial or administrative proceeding pursuant to subsection (a) and is immune from any civil or criminal liability or disciplinary action by the board, as long as such participation pursuant to subsection (a) is made in good faith.