TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 22, 2025

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in Brian Coblentz et al. v. Tractor Supply Company that workers’ compensation law does not bar an employee of a product vendor from suing a retail store for injuries sustained on the job. Brian Coblentz, employed by Stanley National, was injured when part of a display rack fell on his head while he was stocking merchandise. He received workers’ compensation benefits from Stanley National before filing a tort lawsuit against Tractor Supply, alleging the store was negligent and its display rack was in an “unreasonably dangerous and unsafe condition.” Tractor Supply argued it was Coblentz’s “statutory employer” and therefore immune from the suit, but the court held that the companies’ relationship was a product vendor-purchaser arrangement, not a contractor-subcontractor relationship, and that any work Coblentz performed was incidental to the sale of merchandise, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.