When Property Owners Fail to Protect, Criminals Attack.

Negligent security is a type of premises liability claim where a property owner's failure to provide adequate security measures allows a foreseeable criminal act to occur. If a crime that was reasonably foreseeable could have been prevented by proper security, the property owner may be liable for the victim's injuries.

We investigate the property's crime history—if there were prior assaults, robberies, or other crimes at or near the location, the owner should have known the area was dangerous. We obtain police reports, crime statistics for the neighborhood, and evidence of prior complaints to the property owner.

Adequate security depends on the circumstances, but may include: proper lighting in parking areas and walkways, working locks on doors and gates, security cameras, security personnel, controlled access to buildings, and prompt response to tenant complaints about safety. The higher the crime risk, the more security is required.

Yes: if the attack was foreseeable (prior crimes in the complex) and the landlord failed to provide adequate security. Common failures include broken entry gates, locks that don't work, inadequate lighting, and failing to screen tenants with violent criminal histories. We investigate the landlord's knowledge and security failures.

That's exactly why negligent security claims are valuable. The property owner (through their insurance) is often the only deep-pocket defendant. You don't need a criminal conviction to pursue a civil claim—we only need to prove the property owner's negligence, not identify the specific attacker.

You can recover medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional trauma and PTSD, loss of enjoyment of life, and in some cases punitive damages if the owner's conduct was especially egregious. Sexual assault and violent crime victims suffer lasting psychological trauma that deserves full compensation.