MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — One of the most recent annual summaries released by the Tennessee Judiciary highlights a striking statistic for Rutherford County: zero tort cases were filed in the county’s Chancery Court between 2022 and 2023. See the entire report HERE.
Torts—civil wrongs that allow injured parties to seek monetary compensation—include claims such as negligence, personal injury, defamation, and other non-criminal harms. Although the 16th Judicial District Chancery Court serves both Rutherford and Cannon counties, the lone tort case recorded for the district during the study period originated not from Rutherford County, but from Cannon County.
Meanwhile, in the Circuit Court of Rutherford County, records show that damages and tort cases accounted for only 5.23% of all suits filed. The numbers break down to 76 tort cases out of 1,451 total filings.
Divorce Filings Lead Chancery Court Caseload: The Tennessee Judiciary report shows that the largest category of Chancery Court filings in Rutherford County was divorce, both with and without minor children in the household. Combined, there were 950 divorce filings during the study period—436 involving children and 514 without minors. In Circuit Court, 21.6% of their cases involved a divorce.
The second-largest category involved Orders of Protection, with 902 cases filed. These civil orders are often tied to domestic violence situations and can carry criminal penalties if violated. An order may also require an alleged abuser to relocate until a hearing can be held.
Coming in third was the Miscellaneous General Civil category with 405 cases. This broad classification covers a wide range of civil matters, including employment discrimination, property damage disputes, name changes, and minor settlements.
More Than 3,200 Cases Reached Resolution: Rutherford County reported 3,256 dispositions—cases closed or settled—during the study year. Divorce matters again topped the list with 999 cases, followed by 924 Orders of Protection, and 422 child or parent support cases.
Despite the high caseload, very few matters moved to trial. Only 4 Chancery Court cases, or 0.12%, were heard by a jury. Another 181 cases were resolved by non-jury trial.
Attorney Vada Newman, with the Law Offices of John Day, told WGNS that settlements often provide both sides with closure and stability...
Of the 3,256 Chancery Court cases filed, 1,007 were resolved through compromise or settlement, 808 were withdrawn, and 503 resulted in court-approved settlements. Only 0.6% were transferred to another court.
Circuit Court Also Sees Low Jury Trial Rate: The report also shows 1,412 cases filed in Rutherford County Circuit Court, which handles more serious civil matters and criminal actions. Out of those filings:
- 2 cases were resolved by jury trial
- 30 cases proceeded to non-jury trial
- 785 settlements occurred
- 198 dismissals were recorded
- 256 cases ended in a court-approved settlement
That means only 0.14% of all Circuit Court cases were decided by a jury, mirroring the extremely low trial rate seen in Chancery Court.
- See all the data by Clicking Here.
- Click Here for our Full Interview with Vada Newman
