Medical malpractice in Tennessee
Last checked Aug 15, 2026 · LawyerUnc editorial. Educational only, not legal advice.
Elements
1
Provider-patient relationship
The defendant undertook to treat the patient.
2
Standard of care
What a reasonably careful similar provider would have done under similar circumstances.
3
Breach
The care fell below that standard.
4
Causation and injury
The breach more likely than not caused a compensable injury, not merely a bad outcome.
Burden of proof
Preponderance of the evidence, usually with expert testimony on the standard of care.
A Tennessee fact pattern
Medical malpractice in tennessee.
Statute of limitations
1 years
Tenn. Code § 29-26-116
One year from the injury, or one year from discovery if the injury was not found in that first year.
Repose: 3 years.
- Three-year outer wall from the act, with concealment and foreign-object carve-outs.
- Pre-suit notice under § 29-26-121 can add 120 days. It is not a new year.