Businesses are required to to address potential premises liability risks, and concerns should they arise. Both property owners and businesses occupying commercial spaces can be legally and financially responsible for injuries sustained at the property in some cases.
Typically, those hurt at a business must show that negligence caused the situation that resulted in their injuries. Many premises liability lawsuits relate to unsafe property conditions that cause slip-and-falls or perhaps even a balcony collapse.
Occasionally, premises liability lawsuits relate to negligent security practices. By failing to take reasonable steps to prevent criminal activity, businesses can become partially liable for incidents that hurt customers or other visitors to their facilities.
When do victims of crimes that occur on commercial properties have the option of filing a premises liability lawsuit?
When a crime was predictable
Realistically speaking, no business can prevent 100% of the possible crimes that might occur. Humans are highly unpredictable, making the complete prevention of criminal activity an unrealistic standard to impose. Random acts of criminality do not always indicate negligent business security practices.
However, businesses should address common and predictable security issues related to crime. For example, retail establishments know that shoplifting is an issue. In fact, it has become more common in recent years. Having systems in place to deter shoplifting and prosecute those who steal from the business may reduce the likelihood of others getting hurt because they get knocked down or otherwise injured in a shoplifting incident.
Hotel parking lots typically have an above-average risk of vehicle break-ins. Criminals know that hotel visitors may be gone for hours or days at a time, giving them more of an opportunity to break into vehicles. Failing to put fences around parking lots, leaving the parking area dark all night or choosing not to install security cameras could increase the likelihood of impulse crimes in that parking lot.
If other reasonable adults can identify the crimes that are likely to occur at a business and simple ways to prevent those crimes, then the business may be liable for the losses visitors and customers sustain due to preventable criminal activity. Companies that fail to address reasonably predictable safety concerns may be negligent.
Evaluating a criminal incident with the support of a skilled legal team can help those hurt out of business determine if they have grounds for a premises liability lawsuit. A business where injuries occurred may need to compensate visitors for the economic consequences of criminal activity if negligent security is partially to blame for a recent crime.