Abatement is generally the temporary or permanent halting of a process (a lawsuit) or a situation (a nuisance).
In Tennessee, abatement can refer to different legal contexts. In the context of a lawsuit, abatement means the suspension or cessation of judicial proceedings. This can occur for various reasons, such as the death of a party, a lack of jurisdiction, or the resolution of the matter before a verdict is reached. In terms of a nuisance, abatement refers to the legal process of removing or stopping a nuisance. A nuisance is an activity or condition that interferes with the use and enjoyment of property. Tennessee law allows for the abatement of nuisances through court orders, which may require the party responsible for the nuisance to cease the activity or fix the condition causing the nuisance. Both public nuisances, affecting the community at large, and private nuisances, affecting individual property rights, can be subject to abatement under state statutes and local ordinances.