Private Acts of 1919 Chapter 737

SECTION 1. That the Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Civil Districts of Sullivan County, shall constitute a Chancery District and the court shall be held in the City of Kingsport by the Chancellor of the First Chancery Division of this State on the third Mondays of March and September of each and every year.

SECTION 2. That the Clerk and Master of the Chancery Court of Sullivan County appointed pursuant to Section 3 of this act by the Chancellor for the Second Judicial District, shall perform all the duties, have all the rights and power, and be subject to all the duties and liabilities now by law imposed upon such officers, and shall have all the fees and emoluments as are now allowed to such officers, and before entering upon the duties of said office, he shall execute the several bonds now required by law for Clerks and Masters to execute, and shall take the oath prescribed by law and shall keep his office in the City of Kingsport.

SECTION 3. That the Sheriff of Sullivan county and his deputies shall serve as the officers of the said court, and shall obey all orders and execute all process as now required by law to do, by the orders of the Chancery Courts of said Sullivan County. He shall execute separate bonds for the faithful performance of his duties as such officer of the said court, and shall have all the rights and be subject to the same penalties, and receive the same compensation as now provided by law for the various Sheriffs of this State.

SECTION 4. That the fines and forfeitures arising, or growing out of any business in said court, shall be disposed of as the fines and forfeitures which are now collected in the Chancery Court of this State.

SECTION 5. That any suit now pending or hereafter brought in the Chancery Court of Blountville, may by consent of the parties, or their attorneys be transferred to the Chancery Court at Kingsport. That upon application of the parties, or by their attorneys, for removal, as aforesaid, the Clerk and Master at Blountville shall transmit all the papers in the case, together with a copy of all orders and decrees, to the Clerk of the Chancery Court at Kingsport, also a bill of the costs accrued in said court at Blountville.

SECTION 6. That the citizens of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts of said Sullivan county shall bring their suits in equity in said court at Kingsport, against any citizens residing within said civil districts, but no citizen residing out of said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts shall be sued in said courts, unless the subject of said suit is situated in said civil districts.

SECTION 7. That no citizen of said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts of said county shall be sued in the Chancery Court at Blountville, for said county, unless it be in a local action, in which last mentioned court has exclusive jurisdiction by reason of the location of the property about which the action may be brought.

SECTION 8. That counter parts of writs may issue from said court against joint defendants residing or living beyond the limits of the said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts in all cases where the court has legal or rightful jurisdiction of the subject matter of the litigation.

SECTION 9. That the expenses of providing a suitable court room and office room for said court, together with heat, lights and water therefor, shall be paid by the city of Kingsport so long as said court shall be continued.

SECTION 10. That there shall be held at Kingsport, in the County of Sullivan, a law court for the Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Civil Districts of said county, to be called the law court of Kingsport, and to constitute one of the courts of the first judicial circuit, and to be held by the Judge thereof, with common law jurisdiction original and appellate over all causes of a civil nature, arising within said Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Civil Districts.

SECTION 11. That the citizens of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts of said county shall bring their civil action in said law court against citizens of said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts, of said county, and said law court shall have, and exercise jurisdiction over the same, and all civil cases heard and determined before any Justice or Justices of the Peace of the said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts, may be appealed or brought up by writs of certiorari or supersedeas; provided, the plaintiff or defendant reside in said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts, and either of them demand such appeal or writ of certiorari or supersedeas; said law court shall have and exercise exclusive, original and appellate jurisdiction over all such cases.

SECTION 12. That the citizens of said county of Sullivan residing outside of said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts, shall not be liable to be sued in said law court at Kingsport, unless in real actions, of which said law court has exclusive jurisdiction or except in cases otherwise provided by law; but any defendant residing outside of said civil district may waive his rights and have his suit returned to said law court, notwithstanding the process issued from and is returnable to the Circuit Court of Sullivan county in any civil action, unless the cause of action is of such a local nature, as to give the Circuit Court peculiar or exclusive jurisdiction in all cases as provided for in this Section where the right so
waived to said law court, shall have and exercise jurisdiction over them.

SECTION 13. That said law courts shall be held by the Judge of the First Judicial Circuit Court on the fourth Mondays of March, July and November of each and every year and said Judge shall have and exercise all the powers and perform all the duties provided by law for Circuit Judges of this State, and the practice in said law court shall be the same as in the Circuit Courts of the State, and whenever said law court has jurisdiction over any cause of action, counterpart of any original writs may issue from said court, for joint defendants residing outside of said tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts.

SECTION 14. That the sheriff of Sullivan county shall by himself, or deputy attend the sittings of said court, and aid in holding the same as is now provided by law for Sheriffs of this State, requiring them to be present and discharge certain duties, and said Sheriff shall himself, or have a deputy who shall reside in said eleventh, or twelfth civil district, and he himself or his deputy shall perform all the duties pertaining to said law court, and have all the fees and emoluments that are now allowed by law to the various Sheriffs of this State.

SECTION 15. That the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Sullivan county shall be Clerk of the Law Court at Kingsport, and shall by himself or deputy, keep an office in the city of Kingsport, for the transaction of all business pertaining to said court, and shall keep the same open constantly, and shall have and exercise all the powers, and receive all the fees and emoluments that are common to all Clerks of the Circuit Courts of this State.

SECTION 16. That the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Sullivan county shall receive a salary of $2,500.00 per year in order that he may be able to secure the services of a deputy clerk which will be required by reason of the passage of this Act.

SECTION 17. That the jurors selected to serve from time to time in said law court shall be selected and summoned to appear in the same manner and be subject to the same qualifications as is provided by the laws of this State for jurors who serve in the various Circuit Courts of this State; said jurors, however, shall be citizens, freeholders and householders, residing in the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth civil districts of Sullivan county, that the jurors to said law court shall have the same pay as jurors to said law court shall have the same pay as jurors who attend the Circuit Courts of this State and be paid as other jurors of Sullivan County.

SECTION 18. That the city of Kingsport shall pay the expenses incurred or to be incurred in providing suitable court room and office room for said law court together with heat, light and water therefor.

SECTION 19. That any suit or suits of a civil nature, now pending in the Circuit Court of Sullivan county, between citizens of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts, may by consent of the parties, or their attorneys, be transferred to the law court at Kingsport, and said court shall have and exercise the same jurisdiction over them as if they had been originally brought in said law court. That all fines and forfeitures arising from, or growing out of said law court, shall be disposed of as the fines and forfeitures which are imposed by the Circuit Court of Sullivan county. That this Act take effect from and after its passage, the public welfare requiring it. Passed: April 14, 1919.

COMPILER’S NOTE: This private act appears to have been mostly superseded by the general law codified at T.C.A. § 16-2-506(2)(A).