When you are on someone else’s property, be that a shopping center, a hotel, a theater, or anywhere else, it is reasonable to assume you are safe from crime. It is, in fact, the onus of the property owner or manager to ensure this is the case. When a property is not safe and you become the victim of a crime because of that oversight, you may be entitled to compensation through a negligent security lawsuit.
Negligent security is an area of premises liability that focuses on injury or harm that occurs during a crime. While obvious examples of negligent security include inadequate monitoring and poorly designed or maintained security systems, crimes may be more likely in areas that have:
- Poor lighting
- Faulty or ineffective locks
- Broken or poorly maintained physical barriers
- Unsecured access
- A lack of security personnel
- Slow response time to distress calls
Crimes that can occur when security is inadequate include murder, robbery, assault, sexual assault, escalated theft crimes, and similarly physically injurious and emotionally damaging events. If it can be established that a crime likely would have been prevented with an appropriate level of security, it may be possible to seek significant compensation through legal action.
Our Firm Can Help
Kline & Specter, PC is one of the nation’s most effective law firms. Our team of experienced attorneys has secured several major victories for victims of negligent property owners, including:
- A $109 million verdict for the family of a woman killed by a fallen electric line
- A $51 million verdict for a boy whose foot was severed by an escalator
- A $46.5 million verdict against a security firm for the families of two women killed in a Kraft Food plant
- A $35 million settlement for victims of the Continental Business Park fire
Thorough and tenacious, our premises liability attorneys have the resources needed to investigate claims of negligence and build viable cases for trial.
Contact Us Today
If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed during a crime and you suspect negligent security played a role, please call Kline & Specter at 215-772-1000 to schedule a free case review. We maintain offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. We work with local attorneys, as applicable, for cases outside those states.