Litigation
General Litigation
State Court:
Tennessee's 95 counties are divided into 31 Judicial Districts. Within each district, are various types of courts, each designed to hear certain types of controversies. The types of cases that can be heard by a particular court is sometimes referred to as court's jurisdiction. Although many of the different court's respective jurisdictions overlap, which allow each to hear some of the same types of cases, some of the courts have exclusive jurisdiction, meaning that that court alone can only hear a certain type of case.
Federal Court:
When it comes to civil controversies, federal court's are considered to be courts of limited jurisdiction. As such, federal courts can only hear certain types of civil cases.
Consult with an Experienced Attorney: Whether you have a controversy that needs to be resolved in state or federal court, it is important to consult with an experienced attorney that is familiar with the respective courts' jurisdiction rules and guidelines, as well as each court's local rules and procedures.
Specific Types of Litigation
General Sessions
General Sessions
General Sessions
General Sessions Court's jurisdiction varies from county to county based upon state laws and private acts. Generally speaking, General Sessions Civil Court hears cases involving civil controversies in which the amount in controversy does not exceed $25,000.00. Such cases are sometimes referred to as Small Claims cases. General Sessions Civil Court also has original jurisdiction to hear cases involving Landlord-Tenant disputes, actions to recover personal property. General Sessions Civil Court also has jurisdiction to issue restraining orders and penalties for violations of such orders.
Circuit Court
General Sessions
General Sessions
Circuit Court's are court's of general jurisdiction in Tennessee. Civil circuit judges hear civil cases and appeals from Municipal and General Sessions Court. The jurisdiction of Circuit Courts often overlaps the jurisdiction of the Chancery Courts. The judge that hears a case in Circuit Court is general known as a Circuit Court Judge.
Chancery Court
General Sessions
Municipal Court
Chancery Courts handle a variety of matters including lawsuits involving contractual disputes, name changes and disputes in which one party is seeking some form of injunctive relief. Injunctive relief is generally a request from one party requesting that the Court enter an Order against the other party which requires that party to either do or refrain from doing some action. The judge that hears a case in Chancery Court is general known as a Chancellor.
Municipal Court
Experienced Attorney
Municipal Court
Municipal courts, hear cases involving violations of municipal ordinances, such as speeding tickets, other traffic violations, dogs running loose, high grass or other building code violations, etc. that seek to ensure the public safety and welfare.
Federal Court
Experienced Attorney
Experienced Attorney
Generally speaking, federal courts can only hear civil cases in which the amount in controversy is in excess of $75,000 and the parties are citizens of two different states. In the case of a business, the business is a citizen of its state of incorporation. Federal courts can also hear civil controversies in cases involving an issue arising under federal law.
Experienced Attorney
Experienced Attorney
Experienced Attorney
Mr. Grandchamp is duly licensed in both Tennessee and Illinois and has considerable litigation experience. He has successfully tried jury, non-jury trials and arbitrations in state and federal courts.
Mr. Grandchamp's practice concentrates in civil litigation, handling a wide variety of matters and claims.