(a)Service on secretary of state. When the secretary of state is an agent for a domestic or foreign LLC, as provided in § 48-249-112(b), service on the secretary of state of any process, notice or demand shall be made by delivering the original and one (1) copy of such process, notice or demand to the office of the secretary of state, duly certified by the appropriate official, together with the proper fee. A statement that identifies which of the grounds, as listed in § 48-249-112(b), for service on the secretary of state is applicable shall be included. The office of the secretary of state shall endorse the time of receipt upon the original and copy, and shall immediately send the copy, along with a written notice that service of the original also was made, by registered or certified mail, with return receipt requested, addressed to the domestic or foreign LLC at its registered office or principal office (or designated alternative mailing address) as shown in the records on file in the secretary of state’s office, or as shown in the official registry of the state or country in which the foreign LLC is formed. The secretary of state may require the person seeking to serve the process, notice or demand, or the person’s attorney, if any, to furnish the latter address.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 48-249-113

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Court: includes every court and judge having jurisdiction in the case. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • delivery: means any method of delivery used in conventional commercial practice, including delivery by hand, mail, commercial delivery, and, if authorized in accordance with §. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • domestic: means a limited liability company formed under this chapter, or a limited liability company formed under the Tennessee Limited Liability Company Act, compiled in chapters 201-248 of this title, that has elected to be governed by this chapter, or, where expressly indicated, a limited liability company formed under and governed by the Tennessee Limited Liability Company Act. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
  • foreign: means a limited liability company that is formed under the laws of a jurisdiction other than this state. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
  • LLC: means a limited liability company, organized under chapters 201-248 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Month: means the time from any day of any month to the corresponding day of the succeeding month, if any, and if none, the last day of the succeeding month. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Person: means an individual or an entity. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • Principal office: means the office (in or out of this state) so designated in the annual report where the principal executive offices of a domestic or foreign corporation are located. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Proceeding: means any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
  • Record: means information that is inscribed in a tangible medium, or that is stored in an electronic or other medium, and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
  • Registered office: means the office in this state that is designated as the registered office of a domestic or foreign LLC in its articles or in an application for a certificate of authority, as applicable, as thereafter changed from time to time in accordance with this chapter. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
  • Secretary: means the corporate officer to whom the bylaws or the board of directors has delegated responsibility under §. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Secretary of state: means the individual who holds the office of secretary of state of this state. See Tennessee Code 48-249-102
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • written: means any information in the form of a document. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
(b)Refusal of service ineffective. The refusal or failure of the domestic or foreign LLC to accept delivery of the registered or certified mail provided for in subsection (a), or the refusal or failure to sign the return receipt, shall not affect the validity of the service. Any domestic or foreign LLC refusing or failing to accept delivery of such registered or certified mail shall be charged with knowledge of the contents of any process, notice or demand contained in the registered or certified mail.
(c)Receipt received by secretary of state. When the registered or certified mail return receipt is received by the office of the secretary of state, or when a domestic or foreign LLC refuses or fails to accept delivery of the registered or certified mail, and it is returned to the office of the secretary of state, the office of the secretary of state shall forward the receipt or such refused or undelivered mail to the clerk of the court in which the proceeding is pending, or other appropriate official or person, together with the original process, notice or demand, a copy of the notice the secretary of state sent to the defendant LLC and the secretary of state’s affidavit setting forth the secretary of state’s compliance with this section. Service made under this section shall have the same legal force and validity as if the service had been made personally in this state.
(d)Subsequent pleadings. Subsequent pleadings or papers permitted or required to be served on a domestic or foreign LLC may be served on the secretary of state as agent for the domestic or foreign LLC in the same manner, at the same cost and with the same effect, as process, notice or demand is served on the secretary of state as agent for the domestic or foreign LLC under this section.
(e)Minimum time for appearance. No appearance shall be required in the proceeding by the domestic or foreign LLC on which service is completed under this section, nor shall any judgment be taken against such domestic LLC in less than one (1) month after the date service is completed under this section.
(f)Record retained. The secretary of state shall keep a record of all processes, notices, demands and subsequent pleadings or papers served upon the secretary of state under this section, which record shall include the time of each service and the secretary of state’s action with reference to the service.
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