Tennessee Code Annotated

Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-17-101 (2026)

Short title

✓ current as of May 2026
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This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Tennessee Public Participation Act."

Added by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 185,s 1, eff. 7/1/2019.


Notes of Decisions
Cited in 17 cases (17 in the last 5 years), 2021–2026 · leading case: John Doe v. Jane Roe (Tenn. Ct. App. 2021).
John Doe v. Jane Roe (Tenn. Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 10× “Whether the trial court erred in holding that the Tennessee Public Participation Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-17-101 , et seg., does not apply to the report of an alleged crime to a government entity.”
Trevor Adamson v. Sarah E. Grove (Tenn. Ct. App. 2022). · cites it 8× “Within thirty days, the defendants filed a combined motion to alter or amend and petition to dismiss the complaint with prejudice pursuant to the Tennessee Public Participation Act (TPPA), Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-17-101 , et seq., seeking an award of attorney fees and sanctions.”
Trevor Seth Adamson v. Sarah E. Grove (Tenn. Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 2× “Adamson complained of were constitutionally protected free speech and that the Defendants could establish a valid defense to his claims; therefore, the TPPA, Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-17-101 to -110, entitled them to a dismissal with prejudice and to recover their attorney’s fees and…”
FemHealth USA, Inc. v. Williams (M.D. Tenn. 2023). · cites it 2× “Tennessee Public Participation Act The OSA Defendants seek to apply the procedural mechanism of the Tennessee Public Participation Act (“TPPA”), Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 20-17-101 , et seq. (Doc.”
Bill Charles v. Donna McQueen (Tenn. 2024). · cites it 2× “Acts 455–57 (codified at Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 20-17-101 to -110 (2021)).”
Leiby Goldberger v. Thomas J. Scott (2024). · cites it 2× “The defendant- petitioner asserted that this action was filed by the plaintiffs in response to his “exercise of the right of free speech,” which the TPPA defines as “communication made in connection with a matter of public concern.”
Robert E. Lee Flade v. City of Shelbyville, Tennessee (2024). · cites it 2× “01, and the statutory scheme of the Tennessee Public Participation Act (“TPPA”), Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 20-17-101 to -110 (2021).”
David L. Richman v. Joshua Debity (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 2× “See Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-17-101 et seq. Plaintiffs submitted an unsworn, written response to the TPPA petition but did not submit any admissible evidence in response.”
Doe v. Bucciarelli (M.D. Tenn. 2025). · cites it 2× “Finally, the court finds that the plaintiff’s reliance on the Tennessee Public Participation Act (“TPPA”), Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-17-101 et seq., is unwarranted.”
Jessica Hampton v. Daniel Millsaps (Tenn. Ct. App. 2026). · cites it 2× “” Appellant’s motion to dismiss was brought pursuant to the Tennessee Public Participation Act (“TPPA”), Tennessee Code Annotated section 20-17-101, et seq. Specifically, Appellees sought “relief under the [TPPA] for [Appellants’] attempted retaliation against them for…”
Jayesh Patel v. Shailesh Patel (Tenn. Ct. App. 2026). · cites it 2× “The plaintiff- respondents, Jayesh Patel, Devesh Patel, and Vimal Patel (“Plaintiffs”), filed suit in Tennessee asserting claims for defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and abuse of process against the defendants-petitioners, Shailesh Patel, BMGPC, LLC, Parul N.”
Larry Kent v. Global Vision Baptist, Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2023). “In response, the Defendants filed a petition to dismiss the complaint under the Tennessee Public Participation Act, codified at Tennessee Code Annotated § 20-17-101 et seq. (TPPA). The petition alleged that the Plaintiffs’ complaint sought to shut down the Church based on its…”
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