Legal Information: Tennessee

Restraining Orders

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Updated: 
May 18, 2022

What can I do if the abuser keeps filing petitions or motions against me?

A judge may be able to order the abuser to stop filing cases against you or to stop filing motions in a case if the judge determines, after a hearing, that the abuser has filed “abusive civil actions” designed to “harass or maliciously injure” you by doing things like:

  • forcing you to use all of your financial resources;
  • trying to force you to make financial child-custody concessions; or
  • other acts that are not in your best interests.1

The judge can order the abuser to stop filing additional abusive lawsuits against you for a period of four to six years. The judge can also order that the abuser stop a lawsuit that was filed before the judge determined that the abuser was filing abusive civil actions.2

You can read more about abusive civil actions on our TN Suing an Abuser for Money.page.

You can contact a lawyer in your state or the clerk at the courthouse to find out what forms to file to request that the judge hold a hearing if the abuser is filing abusive petitions or motions in a case. You can find lawyers on our TN Finding a Lawyer page and courthouses on our TN Courthouse Locations page.

1 TN ST § 29-41-101
2 TN ST § 29-41-107

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