Tennessee Slip and Fall Settlement Calculator
Get a rough estimate of what a Tennessee slip-and-fall claim might be worth. Enter your medical bills and losses and answer a few plain questions — the tool weighs how provable the owner's fault is and your share of fault. This is an estimate to understand the factors, not a prediction or an offer.
This is a rough estimate, not a prediction or an offer.
Slip-and-fall claims turn on proving the property owner was at fault — there is no formula that predicts a settlement. This shows the factors and a wide range to help you understand value. Consult a Tennessee premises-liability attorney about your case.
Enter the medical bills and losses to see an estimated range
The multiplier method is a rough starting point, not a guarantee. Slip-and-fall value depends most on proving the owner's fault and on the available insurance. An attorney is the only way to value your specific claim. This tool is not legal advice and RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
How the Estimate Works
No tool can predict a slip-and-fall settlement. This calculator applies the multiplier method (pain and suffering as a multiple of your medical bills), then does something the thin online calculators skip: it weighs how provable the owner's fault is. A spill the staff caused or knew about is worth far more than a hazard nobody can show the owner knew about. It then estimates your own comparative fault from a few plain questions and applies Tennessee's rules.
Proving the Owner Was at Fault
Premises liability has four parts: a dangerous condition existed, the owner knew or should have known about it, they failed to fix it or warn you, and that caused your injury. The middle part — notice — is where most slip-and-fall cases are won or lost. Strong evidence (an incident report, photos of the hazard, surveillance video, cleaning and maintenance logs, prior complaints) is what turns a claim from a token offer into real money. A posted warning sign or cone works against you: it shows the owner did warn, and it makes the hazard "open and obvious," shifting fault onto you.
Tennessee Premises-Liability Rules
Open-and-obvious hazards. In Tennessee, an open-and-obvious hazard is only a comparative-fault factor (it reduces, not bars). Tennessee treats an open-and-obvious hazard as a comparative-fault factor, NOT an automatic bar. In Coln v. City of Savannah, 966 S.W.2d 34 (Tenn. 1998), the Tennessee Supreme Court held that after the state's 1992 adoption of comparative fault (McIntyre v. Balentine), the "open and obvious" nature of a danger does not ipso facto relieve a landowner of a duty of care. Adopting Restatement (Second) of Torts Sec. 343A, the Court ruled that if the foreseeability and gravity of harm outweigh the burden of preventing it, a duty exists even as to an obvious danger; obviousness instead reduces the plaintiff's recovery under comparative-fault apportionment. (Coln's duty-balancing test was later refined as to summary judgment in Parker v. Holiday Hospitality Franchising, 446 S.W.3d 341 (Tenn. 2014), but the open-and-obvious-is-not-a-bar holding stands.)
Ice and snow. Tennessee applies an ordinary reasonable-care duty to ice and snow, so a poorly-maintained walkway can support a claim. Tennessee does NOT follow the no-duty "natural accumulation rule." A premises owner owes an ordinary reasonable-care duty as to naturally accumulated ice and snow once it has actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition. The leading appellate case, Clifford v. Crye-Leike Commercial, Inc., 213 S.W.3d 849 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2006), holds the owner must use reasonable care to remove or warn of accumulations within a reasonable time, weighing (1) length of time present, (2) amount, (3) practicability of removal, (4) cost, and (5) foreseeability of injury. A mere weather forecast is not, by itself, notice, and the owner need not begin clearing mid-storm. Comparative fault still applies.
Public property. If you fell on government property, Tennessee requires a formal notice of claim before you can sue. Tennessee's Governmental Tort Liability Act (TGTLA) imposes NO separate short pre-suit notice-of-claim deadline (unlike New York's 90 days). The single hard deadline is that suit against a county, city, or other governmental entity must be COMMENCED within twelve (12) months / one year after the cause of action arises. T.C.A. Sec. 29-20-305(b). Immunity for slip-and-fall claims is waived where the injury arises from negligently maintained streets, alleys, or sidewalks (Sec. 29-20-203) or a dangerous/defective condition of government-owned real property of which the entity had actual/constructive notice (Sec. 29-20-204). The 1-year TGTLA period is strict and is the exclusive remedy; it can be tolled only for minors or other legal disabilities, or where the injury could not reasonably have been discovered.
Your Fault & the Deadline to File
Tennessee follows modified comparative negligence (50% bar). Your award is reduced by your share of fault, and you recover nothing once you are 50% or more at fault.
Tennessee uses modified comparative fault under the "49 percent rule" adopted in McIntyre v. Balentine, 833 S.W.2d 52 (Tenn. 1992). A plaintiff recovers reduced damages only if the plaintiff's own fault is LESS THAN the defendant's (i.e., 49% or below). At 50% or more fault the plaintiff is barred entirely, making this a modified-50 ("barred at 50%+") system. Damages are reduced in proportion to the plaintiff's percentage of fault.
Tennessee generally requires a slip-and-fall lawsuit to be filed within 1 year of the fall (the statute of limitations). Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 sets a ONE-year limitations period for personal-injury (personal tort) actions — one of the shortest in the country. § 28-3-104(a)(2) extends it to two years where the injury arises from criminal conduct for which the defendant is charged. Minors generally have until their 19th birthday (clock tolled until age 18); a discovery rule applies mainly in med-mal and latent-injury cases. Source: Coln v. City of Savannah, 966 S.W.2d 34 (Tenn. 1998) (open & obvious = comparative-fault factor, adopting Restatement (Second) Sec. 343A); Clifford v. Crye-Leike Commercial, Inc., 213 S.W.3d 849 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2006) (reasonable-care duty for natural ice/snow accumulation); Tenn. Code Ann. Sec. 29-20-305(b) (TGTLA 12-month limitations); Tenn. Code Ann. Sec. 29-20-203 & 29-20-204 (waiver of immunity for defective streets/sidewalks and dangerous conditions)..
- Open-and-obvious hazards do NOT automatically defeat a Tennessee slip-and-fall claim. Under Coln v. City of Savannah (Tenn. 1998), obviousness is weighed in the duty analysis and then factored into comparative-fault apportionment rather than barring recovery.
- Because Tennessee uses modified comparative fault (50% bar), an injured visitor can still recover so long as they are found less than 50% at fault; an obvious hazard typically just increases the plaintiff's percentage share.
- Tennessee rejects the no-duty 'natural accumulation' rule for ice and snow. Owners owe a reasonable-care duty once they have actual or constructive notice (Clifford v. Crye-Leike), but a weather forecast alone is not notice and they need not act mid-storm.
- Falls on city, county, or state property fall under the Governmental Tort Liability Act. There is no short notice-of-claim form, but suit must be filed within ONE YEAR (T.C.A. Sec. 29-20-305) - shorter and stricter than many private claims.
- The general personal-injury statute of limitations in Tennessee is just one (1) year (T.C.A. Sec. 28-3-104), so slip-and-fall victims must act quickly regardless of who owns the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is my Tennessee slip and fall claim worth?
No one can tell you a number in advance, and slip-and-fall is harder than a car accident because you must prove the owner was at fault. A rough estimate adds your economic damages and a pain-and-suffering multiplier, discounts it by how provable the owner's fault is, and reduces it for your share of fault under Tennessee's modified comparative negligence (50% bar) rule. The available insurance also caps recovery — an attorney is the only way to value your specific case.
Does a "wet floor" sign hurt my Tennessee claim?
Yes, usually. A posted warning shows the owner satisfied part of their duty to warn and makes the hazard "open and obvious," which shifts fault onto you. In Tennessee, an open-and-obvious hazard is only a comparative-fault factor (it reduces, not bars). It reduces — and sometimes defeats — a claim, but not always (a hidden or inadequate sign may not help the owner).
Can I sue for a fall on ice or snow in Tennessee?
Tennessee applies an ordinary reasonable-care duty to ice and snow, so a poorly-maintained or unaddressed icy walkway can support a claim, subject to your own comparative fault. This is general information, not legal advice — consult a Tennessee attorney.
How long do I have to file in Tennessee?
Generally 1 year from the fall. If you fell on public property, a much shorter notice-of-claim deadline (around 365 days) applies first. Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 sets a ONE-year limitations period for personal-injury (personal tort) actions — one of the shortest in the country. § 28-3-104(a)(2) extends it to two years where the injury arises from criminal conduct for which the defendant is charged. Minors generally have until their 19th birthday (clock tolled until age 18); a discovery rule applies mainly in med-mal and latent-injury cases.
Is this calculator accurate?
It is a rough estimate to show the factors that drive value — not a prediction or an offer. Slip-and-fall outcomes vary enormously and depend on proving fault and on the available insurance. Treat any number here as a ballpark and consult a Tennessee attorney.
Disclaimer
This estimator is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a prediction of any outcome. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm. The value of a slip-and-fall claim can only be assessed by a licensed attorney reviewing your specific facts.