Land and business owners’ legal duty to provide safe premises for their patrons, renters and guests includes a duty to protect them from harm caused by the intentional criminal acts of third parties when those criminal acts are foreseeable. Criminal acts are foreseeable when their occurrence can reasonably be expected under the circumstances. The Atlanta, Georgia inadequate security lawyer at Ponton Law can help to hold property owners and business establishments accountable when guests or patrons become victims of violent criminal attacks on their premises.
The general rule in Georgia is that an owner does not insure a patron’s safety against third-party criminal attacks, and as such, any liability from such attacks must be predicated on the foreseeability of the criminal act. If the owner has reason to anticipate a criminal act, then he has a duty to exercise ordinary care to guard against this risk of harm. Georgia courts examine the history of prior criminal activity on and around the premises to determine the foreseeability of the act in question. The incident causing the injury must be substantially similar in type to the previous criminal activities so that a reasonable person would take ordinary precautions to protect his or her customers or tenants against the risk posed by this sort of activity. In determining whether previous criminal acts are substantially similar to the occurrence causing harm, thereby establishing the foreseeability of risk, the court must inquire into the location, nature and extent of the prior criminal activities and their likeness, proximity or other relationship to the crime in question. While the prior criminal activity must be substantially similar to the present crime, it does not have to be identical, and what is required is that the prior incident be sufficient to attract the owner’s attention to the dangerous condition which resulted in the litigated incident. If there are no prior similar incidents, then the owner is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Our investigation always includes determining what prior criminal acts occurred on the property before the subject incident.
When property/business owners fail to provide adequate security measures, residents and guests are put at risk for criminal attack. Inadequate security has too often resulted in the rape, injury or death of innocent victims. The Atlanta, Georgia negligent security lawyer at Ponton Law works with law enforcement, private investigators and security experts to maximize the compensation recovered for our clients.
Adequate security measures can include hiring security guards, installing sufficient lighting, installing security video cameras or “dummy” cameras, keeping bushes and hedges from growing too tall and providing sturdy locks and alarms on doors and windows. The adequacy of the security measures employed may vary depending upon the location and type of business being operated.
Atlanta, Georgia negligent security cases often involve violent criminal attacks such as rape, shooting, stabbing, murder and assault. These cases have been successfully prosecuted by Ponton Law against owners and operators of businesses. The Atlanta, Georgia crime victims’ rights lawyer at Ponton Law has successfully litigated many cases where the failure of a land/business owner to provide adequate security resulted in the death of guests or patrons or left them with severe, life altering injuries. Our Atlanta, Georgia inadequate security lawyer handles negligent security cases throughout the state.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of violent crime on commercial premises, contact an Atlanta, Georgia premises security lawyer at Ponton Law today for a free consultation about your potential Georgia negligent / inadequate security lawsuit. Call 404-418-8507 to speak with an attorney about your case.
