General Civil Case Cover Sheet - Preparation Worksheet - Tennessee
TENNESSEE CIVIL CASE COVER SHEET PREPARATION WORKSHEET
Nonfiling Intake — Transfer to the Court's Accepted Civil Case Cover Sheet
Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 11, II(c)(1) requires clerks of courts of record other than juvenile court to obtain a Civil Case Cover Sheet with a complaint and summons commencing, reopening, or reinstating a civil action, and a new sheet upon grant of a new trial. Obtain the cover sheet accepted by the selected court or clerk and follow its filing instructions. This worksheet helps collect the information; it is not the cover sheet to file.
1. Court and Form Identification
| Item | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Court name | [________________________________] |
| Court type / level | [________________________________] |
| Division | [________________________________] |
| County or territorial jurisdiction | [________________________________] |
| Clerk or e-filing portal | [________________________________] |
| Official form title | [________________________________] |
| Official form number or revision | [________________________________] |
| Official form URL | [________________________________] |
| Local rule requiring or describing form | [________________________________] |
| Date form and rule checked | [__/__/____] |
| Filing event requiring form | [ORIGINAL COMPLAINT / APPEAL / REFILE / OTHER] |
☐ The filer downloaded the current form directly from the selected court or clerk.
☐ For a filing outside Rule 11, II(c)(1), the selected court or clerk confirmed that no separate cover sheet is required; record the source and date: [________________________________].
2. Caption and Filing Party
Proposed case caption: [________________________________]
Plaintiff or petitioner: [________________________________]
Defendant or respondent: [________________________________]
Additional parties: [________________________________]
Filing attorney or self-represented party: [________________________________]
Tennessee BPR number, if applicable: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
Telephone: [________________________________]
Email: [________________________________]
3. Court-Specific Case Type
Copy the category, code, and wording required by the selected court's current cover sheet or portal.
Primary category and code: [________________________________]
Secondary category or subtype: [________________________________]
Brief description if the official form requires one:
[____________________________________________________________]
Use the case-type classification required on the cover sheet accepted by the selected court. Check the form instructions before choosing a code.
4. Jury and Relief Fields
| Item | Response required by official form |
|---|---|
| Jury demand field | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not on form |
| Jury demand made in pleading or separate filing | [________________________________] |
| Prayer or amount field | [________________________________] |
| Nonmonetary relief field | [________________________________] |
| Cost deposit field | [________________________________] |
| Fee-waiver or indigency filing | [________________________________] |
This worksheet does not make a jury demand, calculate a filing fee, or determine the proper court from the amount or relief requested.
5. Refiling and Related Matters
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is this a refiled, transferred, consolidated, or reopened matter? | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review |
| Prior or related case number | [________________________________] |
| Prior or related court and judge | [________________________________] |
| Same incident, transaction, property, or parties? | [________________________________] |
| Companion, derivative, probate, domestic, bankruptcy, or federal matter | [________________________________] |
| Official form's required related-case details | [________________________________] |
6. Service and Initial Filing Inputs
| Item | Court-specific requirement |
|---|---|
| Summons or service-request form | [________________________________] |
| Service addresses | [________________________________] |
| Requested method, if the court asks | [________________________________] |
| Copies, envelopes, labels, or certified-mail inputs | [________________________________] |
| Confidential personal-identifier process | [________________________________] |
| Safe-address or protected-address process | [________________________________] |
| Exhibits or attachments required with cover form | [________________________________] |
Do not treat a cover or information form as a substitute for the complaint, summons, service request, confidential-information form, fee-waiver application, or another required filing.
7. Filing Cost Record
Copy current amounts only from the selected clerk's official schedule or portal.
| Cost item | Amount and source |
|---|---|
| Initial deposit or filing charge | [________________________________] |
| Additional-party or service charge | [________________________________] |
| Jury deposit or fee | [________________________________] |
| Publication or special-process charge | [________________________________] |
| Other | [________________________________] |
| Total submitted | [________________________________] |
Official cost source and date checked: [________________________________]
8. Official Form Transfer Checklist
☐ Court, division, county, and filing event match the official form.
☐ Party names and counsel information match the initiating pleading.
☐ Exact case category and code were copied from the selected court's form.
☐ Jury, prayer, deposit, refiling, and related-case fields match the official form's wording.
☐ Required service, confidentiality, and filing attachments are complete.
☐ Current local rules, standing orders, e-filing instructions, and cost schedule were checked.
☐ The current official Civil Case Cover Sheet required by Rule 11, II(c)(1), when applicable, will accompany the filing; this worksheet will not be filed.
9. Review Record
| Source | Official URL | Date checked | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court forms page | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] | [________________________________] |
| Local rules | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] | [________________________________] |
| Clerk or e-filing instructions | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] | [________________________________] |
| Cost schedule | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] | [________________________________] |
Reviewer: [________________________________]
Review date: [__/__/____]
About this template
- Last updated
- October 27, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Tennessee
- Category
- Litigation & Court Documents
Legal authority
- Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 11, II(c)(1)
These are the filings that drive a lawsuit through the system: complaints, answers, motions, briefs, discovery requests and responses, and post-judgment papers. Each has its own format requirements under federal and state procedural rules, and each has a deadline that cannot be missed without consequences. Clean, procedurally correct filings move a case forward; sloppy ones invite motions to strike, amended responses, and avoidable delays.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
The statutes this template relies on are listed under Legal authority.
Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 11, II(c)(1) (checked October 27, 2026): "Rule 11 requires a Civil Case Cover Sheet with a complaint and summons commencing, reopening, or reinstating a civil action in courts of record other than juvenile court, and a new sheet when a new trial is granted."
Hamilton County Local Rule 6.04 (2026) (checked October 27, 2026): "Hamilton County also requires parts of its Civil Case Cover Sheet with an answer or other initial responsive pleading."
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