Tenn. Code Ann. » Tenn. Code / Title 29 / Chapter 9
Tennessee Code Annotated

Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-9-103 (2026)

Punishment

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section JustiaTenn. Code CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Code 1858, § 4107; Shan., § 5919; Code 1932, § 10120; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 23-903; Acts 1985, ch. 438, § 1.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 116 cases (10 in the last 5 years), 1982–2026 · leading case: Lisa E. Burris v. James Morton Burris, 512 S.W.3d 239 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2016).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Lisa E. Burris v. James Morton Burris, 512 S.W.3d 239 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 20× “Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-9-103 . 8 Despite this limitation, the Tennessee Supreme Court has previously approved of the practice of imposing “the maximum ten-day sentence upon a single instance of criminal contempt,” depending on the seriousness of the offense.”
Joyce Bradley Watts v. Colin Wade Watts, 519 S.W.3d 572 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 26× “Soon thereafter, Father filed a Motion for a Hearing alleging that an award of attorney’s fees for the prosecution of the criminal contempt petition would violate his rights under Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103 and Article VI, Section 14 of the Tennessee Constitution.”
Ahern v. Ahern, 15 S.W.3d 73 (Tenn. 2000). · cites it 6× “Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103. 8 A party who is in criminal contempt cannot be freed by eventual compliance.”
Powell v. Powell, 124 S.W.3d 100 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003). · cites it 6× “Section 29-9-103 of the Tennessee Code Annotated sets forth the general rule regarding punishment for contempt, as follows: (a) The punishment for contempt may be by fine or by imprisonment, or both. (b) Where not otherwise specially provided, the circuit, chancery, and…”
In re Sneed, 302 S.W.3d 825 (Tenn. 2010). · cites it 6× “Sneed’s “repeated and egregious conduct,” he should be sentenced to the maximum permitted by Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-9-103 (2000) which, in this case, is a fine of $2,500 and 500 days imprisonment.”
Sherrod v. Wix, 849 S.W.2d 780 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1992). · cites it 4× “4 Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103 (Supp. 1992) limits the punishment for criminal contempt to imprisonment for ten days and a fifty dollar fine.”
Sneed v. Bd. of Prof'l Responsibility, 301 S.W.3d 603 (Tenn. 2010). · cites it 2× “He was sentenced to serve fifty days in jail and fined $2,500 pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-9-103 (2000) (one who willfully disobeys a court order and is found to be in criminal contempt may be sentenced to up to ten days of incarceration and ordered to pay a…”
Moody v. Hutchison, 159 S.W.3d 15 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 4× “In Black , our Supreme Court further stated that because attorney fees for prosecuting a criminal contempt action were available under Ferguson , it did not have to decide whether they were also available as costs under Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103, which is the statutory provision…”
Mfrs. Consolidation Serv., Inc. v. Rodell, 42 S.W.3d 846 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2000). · cites it 5× “Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103 (Supp.1997). 3 .”
Cox v. Shell Oil Co., 196 S.W.3d 747 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 6× “One such Motion was filed on August 12, 2003 as “S & B Respondents’ Motion to Dismiss the Contempt Remedies Sought by Movants Shell and Hoechst Celanese based on T.C.A. § 29-9-103” and it reads, in pertinent part, as follows: .”
Bryan v. Leach, 85 S.W.3d 136 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001). · cites it 4× “One statutory source for fines for contempt is Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103, which provides, “[t]he punishment for contempt may be by fine or by imprisonment, or both.”
Tracy Rose Baker v. State of Tennessee, 417 S.W.3d 428 (Tenn. 2013). · cites it 3× “Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 29-9-103(a), -104 (2012).”
Show all 116 citing cases →
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-9-103(2000) — 1 case
Robinson v. Fulliton, 140 S.W.3d 304 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-9-103(a) — 6 cases
Tracy Rose Baker v. State of Tennessee, 417 S.W.3d 428 (Tenn. 2013). “Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 29-9-103(a), -104 (2012).”
Cable v. Clemmons, 36 S.W.3d 39 (Tenn. 2001).
Willard v. Golden Gallon-tn, LLC, 154 S.W.3d 571 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2004).
State of Tennessee v. In Re: Aaron Bonding Co. (Elisha Tomlinson & Tommy Gregory) (Tenn. Crim. App. 2011).
State of Tennessee v. Ebony Houston (Tenn. Crim. App. 2017).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-9-103(b) — 17 cases
In re Sneed, 302 S.W.3d 825 (Tenn. 2010). “Sneed’s “repeated and egregious conduct,” he should be sentenced to the maximum permitted by Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-9-103 (2000) which, in this case, is a fine of $2,500 and 500 days imprisonment.”
Joyce Bradley Watts v. Colin Wade Watts, 519 S.W.3d 572 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2016). “Soon thereafter, Father filed a Motion for a Hearing alleging that an award of attorney’s fees for the prosecution of the criminal contempt petition would violate his rights under Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103 and Article VI, Section 14 of the Tennessee Constitution.”
Edith Wenczl Simpkins v. Otto Kent Simpkins, 374 S.W.3d 413 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2012).
Cable v. Clemmons, 36 S.W.3d 39 (Tenn. 2001).
Bryan v. Leach, 85 S.W.3d 136 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001). “One statutory source for fines for contempt is Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-103, which provides, “[t]he punishment for contempt may be by fine or by imprisonment, or both.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.