Garrett P. Swartwood

Attorney

Garrett Swartwood concentrates his practice in the areas of civil trials, commercial litigation and business and real estate law. His practice includes commercial collections, judgment recovery, foreclosures, construction litigation, landlord-tenant and real estate litigation, probate litigation, business dispute resolution and complex litigation. He also represents clients in contract and lease negotiations and preparation. Garrett has extensive experience in state and federal trial courts, bankruptcy courts and appellate courts. In addition to court appearances, he represents clients before special masters, arbitrators and administrative judges.

Garrett has practiced law for over 20 years and has achieved a prestigious AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is a steady, trusted legal advisor, helping clients solve legal issues and accomplish their economic goals even when litigation becomes necessary. Garrett steers clients through all phases of litigation, including bench and jury trials.

Among other accomplishments, his track record of success includes:

• Collection of millions of dollars in outstanding accounts receivable for local, regional and national businesses
• Winning a judgment for a general contractor at trial in a construction lawsuit involving claims in excess of $1 million
• Establishing insurance rights on behalf of company directors and officers in multimillion-dollar bankruptcy litigation
• Successfully defending an architect in a week-long jury trial of a construction lawsuit
• Successfully settling claims asserted by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Fair Housing Act against property owners in federal court
• Preparing a standard lease agreement, credit application and associated documents for a major equipment distributor
• Obtaining a favorable settlement on behalf of a lender in complex Chapter 12 bankruptcy proceedings
• Successfully prosecuting and settling claims for nearly one-half million dollars in sales commissions against a governmental contractor.

Representative court decisions include:

King v. Gatlinburg Sportsman Club, Inc., No. M2002-02949-COA-R3-CV, 2004 WL 1631112 (Tenn. Ct. App. February 2, 2004) (representation of sportsman club in a lease dispute)

Sevier County v. Waters, 126 S.W. 3d 913 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003) (representation of landowner in condemnation proceeding)

In re Medex Reg’l Labs, LLC, 314 B.R. 716 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. 2004) (resolution of insurance issues in bankruptcy court)

Braun Constr. Servs. V. Richard’s Restoration, Inc., No. 3:05-cv-129, 2006 WL 73617 (E.D. Tenn. January 11, 2006) (resolution of jurisdictional issue in federal court)

Institutional Jobbers Co. v. Hobby (In re Hobby), No. 07-31772, 2007 WL 3231954 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. October 31, 2007) (prosecution of creditor’s rights in bankruptcy court)

Claiborne Hauling, LLC v. Wisteria Park, LLC, No. E2009-02667-COA-R3-CV, 2010 WL 3219467 (Tenn. Ct. App. July 17, 2010) (representation of grading contractor in a construction dispute)

Prestige Land Company v. Mullins, No. E2009-02609-COA-R3-CV, 2010 WL 427242 (Tenn. Ct. App. October 29, 2010) (representation of developer in a construction dispute)

Keith v. Jackson, No. E2012-01056-COA-R3-CV, 2013 WL 672491 (Tenn. Ct. App. February 22, 2013) (representation of employer in a contract dispute)

In re Proceeding to Enforce Judgment Against National Partitions, Inc., No. E2016-00339-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. March 27, 2017) (representation of creditor in inter-state collection case)

Melo Enterprises, LLC v. D1 Sport Holdings, LLC, No. M2017-02294-COA-R3-CV, 2019 WL 338941 (Tenn. Ct. App. August 8, 2018) (representation of investors in a sports training facility)

Garrett also has written several articles and seminar materials on subjects related to his areas of practice, including writings on collection strategies and landlord-tenant law. He is a regular lecturer for attorneys and trade groups.

Before joining the firm, Garrett served as an officer and judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps. He achieved the rank of Major. While in the Marines, Garrett also served as a company commander and an instructor in the laws of war and rules of engagement. He lives in the Farragut area of Knox County, Tennessee, with his wife and three children. He and his family enjoy the outdoor and sporting activities available in East Tennessee.

Testimonials & clients

We are only as good as the work we do for our clients, and we strive always to represent them efficiently and effectively. Our clients appreciate the devoted effort to solve their legal matters, and we thank them for telling us about their experiences with Long, Ragsdale & Waters.