What is an invitee in Tennessee? An invitee is traditionally someone who enters someone else’s property for a purpose connected to the property owner’s interests. A customer visiting a store is probably the most common example. However, Tennessee premises liability law doesn’t use this particular distinction when determining whether a person might be entitled to compensation for an injury. Instead, it focuses on whether the property owner acted with reasonable care under the circumstances.
Who Counts as an Invitee in Tennessee?
The traditional premises liability framework divides visitors into the following three categories:
- Invitees: Invitees enter a property with permission for a purpose connected to the owner’s business or activities. Examples include a shopper at a retail store, a restaurant customer, or a repair technician hired to perform work.
- Licensees: Licensees also have permission to be there, but typically enter for a social or personal reason, such as a friend visiting someone’s home.
- Trespassers: Trespassers enter property without permission, such as someone cutting across privately owned land without authorization.
These categories seem to explain invitee vs. licensee in Tennessee and who is considered an invitee on someone’s property. However, Tennessee premises liability law doesn’t use this traditional classification system as the controlling framework for lawful visitors.
What a Property Owner Owes an Invitee Under Tennessee Law
Under Tennessee law, property owners owe lawful visitors a duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances. The duty of care for Tennessee property owners, therefore, doesn’t depend on the traditional invitee label alone.
Instead, the property owner has a responsibility to take reasonable actions to maintain their premises and address dangerous conditions. This may include taking reasonable steps to correct a hazard or warn visitors about a condition the owner knew or should have known about.
Notice is often the deciding issue, so it helps to know how to prove a property owner knew about the hazard.
What constitutes reasonable action in a premises liability claim depends on the specific facts of the case, including information about the property itself, the hazardous condition, and the resulting injuries. That analysis comes up often in slip and fall claims, where the question is what the owner knew about the hazard and when.
How Visitor Status Comes Up in an East Tennessee Injury Claim
In a premises liability claim, Tennessee premises liability visitor status may still come up when describing why an injured person was on the property and whether they had permission to be there. For example, a customer may have entered a business during normal hours, or a social guest may have been invited into a private home. These facts can provide valuable context for the claim, even though Tennessee law doesn’t use the invitee, licensee, and trespasser framework.
If you are unsure where your situation fits, our guide on what to do if you got hurt on someone else’s property walks through the first steps.
Contact The Terry Law Firm About an Injury on Someone Else’s Property
If you got hurt on someone else’s property, you may be entitled to compensation for the resulting financial and personal losses. You don’t have to pursue the justice you deserve on your own. Instead, turn to an attorney to support you while you focus on healing.
Contact The Terry Law Firm right away for your free, no-obligation, fully confidential consultation. An experienced Tennessee premises liability attorney can review your case, determine whether the property owner breached the duty of care owed to an invitee in Tennessee, and explain your legal options.
