A business owner has a duty to provide a safe place for its employees to work and its customers to visit. Since perpetrators of violent crimes are often not caught and are usually judgment proof, the victims will occasionally turn to the property owner for compensation for their injuries.
A recent study of premise security liability throughout the United States found that the main targets of these lawsuits were residential apartment building owners and hotel and motel owners.
A landowner’s duty may arise when the criminal conduct of a third party is the foreseeable result of a landowner’s negligence. When criminal conduct of a third party is foreseeable, the landowner has a duty to prevent injuries to invitees if it reasonably appears or should appear to them that other innocent persons may be injured on the property.
If a business is in a high crime area, the landowner may be required to take special safety measures such as hiring security personnel or installing security systems. Failure to do so may result in liability.
If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call The Law Offices of William Kenneth C. Dippel, P.C. at 972-866-9900 or contact us online. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if Mr. Dippel agrees to handle your case, the firm will work on a contingency fee basis, which means the firm gets paid for services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
