What are Tennessee Bankruptcy Records?

Tennessee bankruptcy records contain information on bankruptcy cases filed in courts located within the State of Tennessee. Once an individual or business (debtor) files for bankruptcy under any chapter of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, U.S.C, title 11, the courts create a record/file for the ensuing legal processes. These records have the personal information of debtors and their representatives, creditors, and other court or case information and are generally accessible by the public. Websites such as TennesseeCourtRecords.us offer record retrieval services to the public.

Bankruptcy cases are filed in the federal courts rather than the state courts as these cases are legally under federal jurisdiction. There are three federal bankruptcy courts in Tennessee:

• The United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Tennessee
• The United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Tennessee
• The United States Bankruptcy Court Western District of Tennessee

What do Tennessee Bankruptcy Records Contain?

The following case information may be found in Tennessee bankruptcy records:

• Debtor’s income and monthly expenditures (food, medical expenses, transportation, etc.)
• Debtor’s assets and liabilities
• A listing of all creditors and their claims
• Debtor’s full name
• The sort of petition filed
• Information of the case’s legal representative (name and phone number)
• Case number
• Case filing date
• Filing chapter
• Official assigned to oversee the case (trustee)
• Name of the presiding court and judge
• Case discharge and closing dates
• Case disposition

Are Bankruptcy Records Public Information?

Yes, Tennessee bankruptcy records are open to the public as directed by 11 USC 107(a). Anyone may query a federal bankruptcy court for these records or use the online public database PACER to access case and docket information. However, sections §107 and §112 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code prohibit federal bankruptcy courts from disclosing certain information concerning an individual’s financial and private information. Such information includes dates of birth, phone numbers, names of children, bank account numbers, social security numbers, payment histories, driver’s license numbers, and biometric data. The court may also restrict any information that endangers a person or property upon disclosure or infringes on a company’s intellectual property rights.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. Operating independently of any federal, state or local agency, these websites often make searching simpler, as such platforms are not limited by geographic location. Third-party sites may also feature search engines that may help simplify the search process for specific or multiple records. To begin using a third-party or government website, interested parties may be required to provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that person resides in or was accused in.

Third-party sites are independent from government sources, and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites may vary.

How to Get Tennessee Bankruptcy Records

Tennessee bankruptcy records and case information may be obtained from any of the bankruptcy courts in the same way, and for the same fees, through PACER, VCIS, or directly from the court, and for older/closed records, through the Federal Records Center. Some of these record-retrieving channels listed below require payment before a person may access or copy records, while others provide access free of charge:

• PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records): Case/docket information of bankruptcy cases may be obtained from PACER. New users are required to register online to use this site or by calling the PACER Service Center at (800) 676–6856 during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Fees for using this platform include 10 cents/page to print records, $2.40 for audio records of court hearings, and other fees outlined in the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule. In some instances, these fees may be waived, including
  • When access is required for research purposes
  • When a user spends up to or less than $30 in a quarter on the platform
  • When records are viewed at any courthouse

After registration, the following links may be used to log in to the courts’ bankruptcy records:

• PACER Login, the United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Tennessee
• PACER Login, the United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Tennessee
• PACER Login, the United States Bankruptcy Court Western District of Tennessee

• VCIS (Voice Case Information System): This is a 24/7 electronic service that may be used to obtain significant case information from a court’s database at no cost. To use this service, requesters may dial (866) 222–8029 and follow the voice instructions. Obtainable information includes the debtor’s information (name, attorney’s name/phone number, trustee, assets), case information (case number, status, disposition, judge’s name, filing date, chapter, claims deadline), and more.

• Record requests to the court: It is the same process to obtain records from any of the Tennessee bankruptcy courts. Records may be viewed or obtained at public access terminals provided at the courts’ locations. There is no fee to view records at the terminals, but there is a fee for copying and printing records. Generally, this fee is 10 cents/page for printouts and 50 cents/page for copies. Other fees payable are listed in the fee schedules for the eastern, middle, and western bankruptcy courts. However, as stated earlier, these fees are the same across courts. Interested persons may request certified copies from the relevant United States Bankruptcy Court Clerk’s office. Below are the physical address and contact details of these courts:

The United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Tennessee: The eastern district court has four offices at the following addresses:

Chattanooga
United States Bankruptcy Court
Historic U.S. Courthouse
31 East 11th Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402–2722
Phone: (423) 752–5163

Greenville
United States Bankruptcy Court
James H. Quillen United States Courthouse
220 West Depot Street, Suite 218
Greeneville, TN 37743–4924
Phone: (423) 787–0113

Knoxville
United States Bankruptcy Court
Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. Courthouse
800 Market Street, Suite 330
Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone: (865) 545–4279

Winchester
United States Bankruptcy Court
U.S. Post Office & Courthouse
Second Floor Courtroom
200 South Jefferson Street
Winchester, TN 37398
Phone: (423) 752–5163

The United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Tennessee: The Clerk’s office may be contacted by calling (615) 736–5584 between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The court has an office in the Middle District Map and three other locations below:

Nashville
United States Bankruptcy Court
Middle District of Tennessee
701 Broadway, Room 170
Nashville, TN 37203

Columbia
Federal Building and Courthouse
815 South Garden Street
Columbia, TN 38401

Cookeville
L. Clure Morton Post Office and Courthouse
9 East Broad Street
Cookeville, TN 38503

The United States Bankruptcy Court Western District of Tennessee: The western district court has an eastern and western division. The court’s addresses and contact information are as follows:

Eastern Division
111 South Highland Avenue
Suite 107
Jackson, TN 38301
Phone: (731) 421–9300

Western Division
200 Jefferson Avenue
Suite 500
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: (901) 328–3500

To obtain closed records that have been transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Federal Records Center, interested parties may request copies with the NARA Bankruptcy Cases Order Form. Guidelines for submissions are outlined on this form. It is possible to submit this form by mail, fax, or email. Alternatively, the online service may be used to request. Requesters are required to know the case number, transfer/accession number, location number, and box number of a case. If this information is unknown, the relevant Clerk’s office may be contacted.

In addition, persons seeking to retrieve records of closed bankruptcy cases in the middle district court may use the NARA lookup to search by case number or debtor’s name for the transfer number, box number, and location number of a case record. The fees payable for copy requests are $10 for electronic record retrieval, $9.90 FRC electronic retrieval (flat rate fee), and the 65 cents/page F. R. C. fee. For more information on the ordering process, NARA may be contacted at (215) 305–2020 or (215) 305–2001.

Members of the public may also request to review/inspect records from NARA through the courts by submitting an Archives Order Form, for example, the middle district court’s Archives Order Form. Other federal courts in the state may be contacted for information, forms, and instructions on requesting these records. It costs $64 to retrieve a box of records and $39 for each additional box.

How do I Find Out if My Bankruptcy Case is Closed in Tennessee?

Generally, residents can find out if their bankruptcy cases have been closed by contacting the appropriate federal bankruptcy court, that is, the court where the case was filed. Contact information for these courts is listed above. Also, the Voice Case Information System (VCIS) may be used to find out the closing dates and statuses of cases by calling (866) 222–8029.

Can a Bankruptcy be Expunged in Tennessee?

Neither federal law nor local rules of the courts provide for the expungement of bankruptcies in Tennessee. These cases cannot be removed from public access unless the bankruptcy record contains confidential or sensitive information, as defined in 11 U.S. C. §107 and 11 U.S. C. §112.