Allen Deceder sues Dolgencorp LLC and Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation

Plaintiff Allen Deceder filed a personal-injury complaint in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on January 29, 2026, listed as case number 26 CV 000833. The complaint names Dolgencorp LLC and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation as defendants; the filing is described as a civil personal-injury action. Court records available so far provide the filing date, parties and case number but the complaint text and details of the claims have not yet been released publicly.

The suit arrives against a backdrop of earlier litigation involving a Dollar General employer-affiliate and the Bureau. In Coffey v. Dolgencorp, Inc., the Third Appellate District summarized that Kristina M. Coffey filed “a claim with Appellee, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, alleging she sustained injuries to her back in June 2004, when she tripped and fell while unloading a truck for her employer, Dollar General.” That litigation proceeded through Industrial Commission hearings and a trial court award that “grant[ed] Plaintiff-Appellee, Kristina M. Coffey, the right to receive workers’ compensation benefits,” and the appellate court affirmed the judgments, noting the judgment entries dated May 14, 2007. The Coffey opinion also states, “Dollar General is a self-insured employer under the Workers’ Compensation scheme. As such, the Bureau did not participate in any of the litigation between Coffey and Dollar General, including this appeal.”

The Deceder filing revives practical questions for frontline Dollar General employees and for managers: whether an injury is pursued through the workers’ compensation system or as a civil tort, which entity is responsible for paying medical bills and lost wages, and how an employer’s insurance status affects the Bureau’s role. The Coffey record suggests the employer previously reported itself as self-insured, a status that can change who appears in court and how claims are processed. The new complaint uses the corporate name Dolgencorp LLC; the earlier appellate matter used Dolgencorp, Inc., d.b.a. Dollar General Corporation. Those differences in corporate form will be relevant to determining which legal entity is defending the suit and whether corporate records or d/b/a filings affect liability or indemnity.

For workers, the case highlights familiar workplace hazards: Coffey’s back injury occurred while unloading a truck, a common duty at many Dollar General stores. How Deceder frames the facts and whether the Bureau actively participates will shape remedies available to employees and could affect store-level safety and training priorities if the complaint alleges systemic negligence.

The next developments to watch are the Franklin County docket for 26 CV 000833, the filing of a full complaint and any responsive pleadings, and whether the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation enters an appearance or files a statement about its role. For employees and local managers, the case underscores the importance of documenting injuries, following internal reporting protocols, and knowing whether an employer is self-insured or covered by state workers’ compensation insurance, matters that determine who pays and how claims proceed.