Withholding of material information concerning the status of the parents or guardian of a child subject to surrender, termination of parental rights or adoption - Misdemeanor

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TN Code › Title 36 › Chapter 1 › Section 36-1-104

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

Any person who, upon request by any party to an adoption or the party's agent or attorney, a licensed child-placing agency or licensed clinical social worker, the department, or the court, knowingly and willfully withholds any information related to the child who is the subject of a surrender, a termination of parental rights, or an adoption proceeding, or who knowingly and willfully withholds any material information concerning the identity, status, or whereabouts of the child's legal parent or parents, putative father, or guardian or who knowingly and willfully gives false information concerning the child or the identity, status, or whereabouts of the child's legal parent, putative father, or guardian commits a Class A misdemeanor. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a person or agency to disclose any confidential or privileged information protected by any state or federal law or regulation. Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 36,s 18, eff. 7/1/2019. Acts 1995, ch. 532, § 1; 1996, ch. 1054, § 16.

Any person who, upon request by any party to an adoption or the party's agent or attorney, a licensed child-placing agency or licensed clinical social worker, the department, or the court, knowingly and willfully withholds any information related to the child who is the subject of a surrender, a termination of parental rights, or an adoption proceeding, or who knowingly and willfully withholds any material information concerning the identity, status, or whereabouts of the child's legal parent or parents, putative father, or guardian or who knowingly and willfully gives false information concerning the child or the identity, status, or whereabouts of the child's legal parent, putative father, or guardian commits a Class A misdemeanor. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a person or agency to disclose any confidential or privileged information protected by any state or federal law or regulation.

Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 36,s 18, eff. 7/1/2019.

Acts 1995, ch. 532, § 1; 1996, ch. 1054, § 16.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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