All actions in law or equity shall be known as "civil actions."
Rule 2.One Form of Action
Last verified July 2, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2 does away with Tennessee’s old separation between actions at law and suits in equity, declaring that every civil dispute — whatever relief it seeks — proceeds under the single label of a “civil action.”
Full Text of Rule 2
Advisory Commission Comments
Advisory Commission Comments [2013].
The 2013 Advisory Commission Comment to Tenn. R. Civ. P. 3 provides guidance for determining whether a statutorily authorized "petition" is considered a "complaint" or a "motion" for purposes of the Rules of Civil Procedure.
Plain-English Summary
Before Tennessee adopted its modern rules, a lawsuit for money damages and a lawsuit seeking an injunction followed different procedural paths, carried different names, and in earlier eras could even land in different courts. A party who picked the wrong label risked losing a valid claim over a technicality.
Rule 2 erases that division in a single sentence: every action in law or in equity is a "civil action." A complaint seeking damages, an injunction, or both proceeds under the same set of rules from the same starting point, with no separate track to choose and no separate name to get right.
The rule works alongside Rule 1, which sets the reach of the rules generally, and Rule 3, which fixes the moment a civil action begins. Together they establish one unified procedure for essentially every civil dispute filed in circuit or chancery court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Tennessee complaint ask for both damages and an injunction?
Yes. Because Rule 2 merges what used to be separate actions at law and suits in equity into one civil action, a single complaint can seek both kinds of relief.
Does Tennessee still use the terms "suit in equity" or "action at law"?
Not procedurally. Rule 2 applies the label "civil action" to every case regardless of whether the relief sought would once have been called legal or equitable.
Why did Tennessee need a rule merging law and equity?
Before the rule, choosing the wrong procedural track could sink an otherwise valid claim. Rule 2 removes that risk by putting every civil dispute under one uniform procedure.
Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Commission Comments are reproduced verbatim from the
official Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 2). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Tennessee (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 16-3-402 to 16-3-407, 16-3-601). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 2, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: civil actionone form of actionmerger of law and equity
Advisory Commission Comments.
Prior to the adoption of these Rules, Tennessee practice spoke of "civil actions at law" ( Tenn. Code Ann. § 20- 201) [repealed] and of "suits" in chancery ( Tenn. Code Ann. § 21-102) [repealed]. Rule 2 simplifies the terminology of applying a single term to all civil actions.