Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death in Tennessee

Overview

Tennessee does not have a separate wrongful death limitations period in the jurisdiction data provided for this page. The general/default period is 1 year under Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2).

That means the safest approach is to treat a wrongful death claim as time-sensitive right away and confirm the accrual date before relying on any deadline estimate. In practical terms, a statute of limitations is the filing window. If the deadline passes, the claim is generally barred even if the underlying facts are strong.

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations tool helps turn the dates you enter into a deadline estimate. It is useful when you need a quick first-pass calculation for:

• a decedent’s date of death,
• a possible tolling event,
• a discovery issue,
• or a filing date already in progress.

Limitation period

The default limitations period provided for Tennessee is 1 year. For a wrongful death calculation, that means the clock is measured in months, not years, unless a recognized exception pauses, extends, or changes the deadline.

Here is the practical way to think about it:

A few workflow points matter when using the deadline:

• Accrual date controls the calculation. The same case can produce different deadlines if the trigger date changes.
• Filing date matters more than drafting date. A complaint prepared on time but filed late is still late.
• Time math is strict. A one-day error can change the outcome.

If you are reviewing multiple claims, use the calculator to test each scenario separately. Wrongful death deadlines can be affected by facts such as the date of death, notice requirements in related matters, or a later-recognized injury theory. Enter the clearest available trigger date first, then compare the result against any possible tolling dates.

Key exceptions

No claim-type-specific sub-rule was found in the supplied Tennessee data, so the default 1-year period applies unless a separate tolling or accrual rule changes the result. That makes exceptions the main issue to check before relying on any deadline estimate.

Common deadline-altering issues to evaluate include:

• Minority or legal disability: If the person with standing was under a legal disability, the clock may not run normally.
• Fraudulent concealment: If facts were concealed, limitations may be delayed until discovery or another triggering event.
• Government defendants: Claims involving public entities often have separate notice and timing rules that can affect the usable filing window.
• Bankruptcy stay or other court-imposed stay: A stay can pause litigation deadlines in some contexts.
• Wrong accrual date: The most common problem is entering the wrong trigger date, which can make a valid claim appear untimely.

A quick checklist can help before you file:

For a deeper deadline review, the easiest next step is to run the facts through the statute of limitations calculator and compare the output against the case timeline.

Statute citation

The statute citation provided for Tennessee in the supplied data is Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2). The source link given for that citation is:

https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-40/chapter-35/part-1/section-40-35-111/

For reference-page purposes, the key citation details are:

When you cite the deadline in a file note, motion draft, or internal memo, keep the reference short and precise:

• **Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-111(e)(2)
• 1-year limitations period
• Tennessee wrongful death deadline analysis based on supplied jurisdiction data

If your case file includes multiple claims, separate the wrongful death deadline from any survival, negligence, medical malpractice, product liability, or government-claim deadline. Each of those can have a different limitations rule even when the facts overlap.

Use the calculator

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator turns your case dates into an estimated Tennessee deadline in seconds. Enter the accrual date, review the calculated end date, and then test any exception dates that may affect the result.

Use it when you need to:

• check a date of death against a 1-year period,
• compare alternative accrual theories,
• test tolling or suspension events,
• or confirm whether a filing date lands before the deadline.

A practical input guide:

To get the most useful output:

1. Start with the most defensible accrual date.
2. Run the calculation once with no exceptions.
3. Run it again with any suspected tolling event.
4. Compare the results and use the earliest safe deadline.

If you are building a broader deadline workflow, DocketMath can also help standardize date handling across matters so teams do not rely on memory or ad hoc calendar math.

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — How to choose the right calculator
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — How to choose the right calculator