In New York City, property owners of establishments such as office and apartment buildings, restaurants, schools, and bars have a duty of care to take certain security measures to ensure a safe environment for individuals who are visiting, live, or work on their premises. When an owner fails to take adequate precautions to secure their property, they may be liable for any attacks that result from a lack of security.
On Friday night, at approximately 5:30pm, a 44-year old woman was raped and robbed inside a Staten Island office building. The attack occurred inside a building on Forest Avenue in Marines Harbor. You can read the news article about this terrible crime in the New York Post.
An attack such as this could potentially give rise to an inadequate security lawsuit in which the owner of the premises may be liable for negligence. Negligence occurs when an individual or entity breaches a duty of care that the law requires for the protection of other individuals and their interests. In inadequate security cases, property owners have breached their duty of care when they fail to adequately secure their premises in areas where they should have been able to reasonably foresee the potential for criminal activity. Owners may have acted negligently if their premises are in high-crime areas and lack any of the following:
- Security guards
- Security cameras
- Locks on doors or cameras are broken
- Inadequate security personnel
- Inadequate lighting in parking lots
At Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool, our attorneys have successfully litigated many negligent security cases. Our firm has a history of sustained success representing individuals who have been severely injured due to a property owner’s lack of security. Our numerous successful verdicts and settlements in these cases have yielded millions of dollars in compensation for victims of attacks on private property. We realize that an attack on private property can cause numerous physical, emotional and financial hardships. As a result, our attorneys will do whatever they can to hold the responsible property owner accountable for their negligence.
If you or someone you love has been attacked and injured on private property, you may be entitled to compensation. For a free, no-obligation consultation with our premises liability lawyers, call 212-406-1700 or contact us online.