Can I sue for being shot or stabbed in Tennessee?
Often, yes. Tennessee property owners owe a duty to take reasonable steps to protect people on their premises from foreseeable crime. When a business or landlord ignores a known danger and someone is shot or stabbed as a result, Tennessee law can hold the owner financially responsible — through a negligent-security claim. You are not suing for the crime itself; you are suing the property owner for the security failures that made a foreseeable attack possible. This is separate from any criminal case against the attacker.
How Tennessee decides if a crime was “foreseeable”
Tennessee uses a balancing test (McClung v. Delta Square): a business has a duty to take reasonable steps to protect customers from third-party crime when it knows or has reason to know — from prior incidents or otherwise — that such crime is foreseeable. Courts balance the foreseeability and gravity of the harm against the burden of preventing it.
Deadlines in Tennessee
- Negligence / personal injury: generally one year from the date of the incident (extended to two years when the assailant is arrested or charged) from the date of the incident.
- Wrongful death: generally generally one year from the date of death.
Tennessee’s one-year deadline is among the shortest in the country — though it extends to two years when the attacker is criminally arrested or charged. It is critical to act quickly. Evidence like surveillance footage disappears fast, so it’s important to act quickly.
Fault sharing in Tennessee
Tennessee follows modified comparative negligence with a 50% bar: you recover, reduced by your fault, only if your fault is less than 50% — a plaintiff exactly 50% at fault recovers nothing.
What you can recover
Tennessee caps non-economic damages at $750,000 (rising to $1,000,000 for catastrophic injuries) in these cases; the cap is lifted where the defendant acted intentionally, was intoxicated, or committed a felony. Economic damages are not capped. For families, a wrongful-death claim can recover funeral costs and the loss of support and companionship.
Why Tennessee victims choose The Haggard Law Firm
The firm has handled nearly 500 negligent-security cases nationwide and secured the largest negligent-security verdict in U.S. history ($102.7 million). We help Tennessee crime victims and their families with no fee unless we win.
How we handle a Tennessee case — working with local counsel
The Haggard Law Firm is based in Coral Gables, Florida, and Michael A. Haggard is licensed to practice law in Florida. Mr. Haggard is not licensed in Tennessee. Negligent security and crime-victim litigation is the firm’s core focus, and because of the national reputation the firm has built in this specific area, Mr. Haggard regularly works on Tennessee cases as co-counsel with a locally licensed Tennessee attorney, seeking admission pro hac vice (for the individual case) where the court’s rules permit. Any Tennessee matter would be handled together with local counsel admitted in Tennessee.
If you were shot, stabbed, or lost a loved one to a preventable crime in Tennessee, you can still reach out to us directly. We will review your case for free and, where appropriate, associate with a qualified Tennessee attorney to pursue it.
This page is attorney advertising and general information only; it is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Michael A. Haggard is licensed in Florida. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sue for being shot in Tennessee?
Often, yes. If you were shot on a Tennessee property that failed to provide reasonable security against a foreseeable risk, you may be able to sue the property owner for negligent security — separately from any criminal case against the shooter. Tennessee balances how foreseeable and grave the harm was against the burden of preventing it, with prior incidents key (McClung). A free case review will tell you whether you have a claim.
Can I sue if I was stabbed on someone's property in Tennessee?
Possibly. A stabbing on a Tennessee property with inadequate security is handled the same way as a shooting — if the attack was foreseeable and the owner failed to provide reasonable security, the owner may be liable. The claim is against the property owner, not only the attacker.
How long do I have to file a negligent-security claim in Tennessee?
Generally one year from the date of the incident (extended to two years when the assailant is arrested or charged) from the date of the incident for a negligence claim, and generally one year from the date of death for wrongful death. Tennessee's one-year deadline is among the shortest in the country — though it extends to two years when the attacker is criminally arrested or charged. It is critical to act quickly. Confirm your specific deadline with a lawyer quickly.
Is Michael Haggard licensed to practice in Tennessee?
Mr. Haggard is licensed in Florida, not in Tennessee. Because negligent-security litigation is his firm's core focus and the firm has a national profile in these cases, he regularly serves as co-counsel with a locally licensed Tennessee attorney and, where the court permits, appears pro hac vice for the individual case. You can contact the firm directly, and where appropriate it will associate with qualified local counsel in Tennessee.
How does Tennessee decide if a property owner is liable?
Tennessee balances how foreseeable and grave the harm was against the burden of preventing it, with prior incidents key (McClung). If the crime was foreseeable and the owner failed to provide reasonable security, they can be held responsible.
What does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. We work on contingency — no attorney's fees unless we recover compensation for you.