No civil case, originating in a general sessions court and carried to a higher court, shall be dismissed by such court for any informality whatever, but shall be tried on its merits; and the court shall allow all amendments in the form of action, the parties thereto, or the statement of the cause of action, necessary to reach the merits, upon such terms as may be deemed just and proper. The trial shall be de novo, including damages.
Code 1858, § 4177 (deriv. Acts 1851-1852, ch. 100, § 2); Shan., § 5989; mod. Code 1932, § 10190; impl. am. Acts 1979, ch. 68, §§ 2, 3; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 19-425; Acts 1993, ch. 241, § 46; T.C.A., §19-1-118; Acts 1995, ch. 418, § 1.
Compiler's Notes. References in some of the annotations for this section to “justices of the peace” are deemed references to “courts of general sessions” or “judges of courts of general sessions.” See Acts 1979, ch. 68, §§ 2, 3.
Cross-References. Correction of formal errors on appeal, §20-11-108.
Textbooks. Tennessee Jurisprudence, 1 Tenn. Juris., Amendments, §§ 2, 7, 9, 14, 17; 2 Tenn. Juris., Appeal and Error, § 50; 17 Tenn. Juris., Justices of Peace and General Sessions Courts, §§ 27, 41, 43.
Law Reviews.
The Pauper's Oath in Appeals From General Sessions Court (Robert A. Lanier), 19 No. 2 Tenn. B.J. 17 (1983).
Cited: Red Boiling Springs v. Whitley, 777 S.W.2d 706, 1989 Tenn. App. LEXIS 457 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1989); Steve Frost Agency v. Spurlock, 859 S.W.2d 337, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 213 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1993); Morris v. Clarksville-Montgomery County Consol. Bd. of Educ., 867 S.W.2d 324, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 511 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1993); Auto Credit of Nashville v. Wimmer, 231 S.W.3d 896, 2007 Tenn. LEXIS 642 (Tenn. Aug. 16, 2007); McPherson v. Shea Ear Clinic, — S.W.3d —, 2007 Tenn. App. LEXIS 265 (Tenn. Ct. App. Apr. 27, 2007); McGee v. Jacobs, 236 S.W.3d 162, 2007 Tenn. App. LEXIS 320 (Tenn. Ct. App. May 18, 2007); West v. AMISUB (SFH), Inc., — S.W.3d —, 2013 Tenn. App. LEXIS 191 (Tenn. Ct. App. Mar. 21, 2013).