Tenn. Code Ann. § 21-1-403

This is the official text of Tenn. Code Ann. § 21-1-403, part of Tennessee’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of Tennessee, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Death of defendant after decree

Official statutory text

The death of the defendant proceeded against without personal service, whether the death occurs before or after the filing of the bill, does not render the proceedings void, but the defendant's heirs or representatives, as the case may be, have the right, within three (3) years from the rendition of the final decree, to make themselves parties by petition, verified by affidavit, showing merits and contest the complainant's bill. Code 1858, § 4380 (deriv. Acts 1787, ch. 22, § 1); Shan., § 6190; Code 1932, § 10461; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 21-512.
The death of the defendant proceeded against without personal service, whether the death occurs before or after the filing of the bill, does not render the proceedings void, but the defendant's heirs or representatives, as the case may be, have the right, within three (3) years from the rendition of the final decree, to make themselves parties by petition, verified by affidavit, showing merits and contest the complainant's bill.
Code 1858, § 4380 (deriv. Acts 1787, ch. 22, § 1); Shan., § 6190; Code 1932, § 10461; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 21-512.

Status: in_force

Need a lawyer in Tennessee?

Find a Tennessee lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.