A patron of a Norcross, Georgia Days Inn Hotel located on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard was attacked while in the parking lot of the hotel this past Saturday night. The 46-year-old victim was approached by two men who demanded that the victim give them his valuables. One man aimed a handgun at the victim, while the other man beat him. The two men subsequently took his money and other personal items before fleeing in a light-colored four door car. The hotel's video surveillance system apparently captured one of the suspects on tape.
Our law firm regularly represents victims of assaults while on the premises of hotels, and the victim in this case would appear to have a claim against Days Inn for failure to adequately secure the hotel's parking lot. Under Georgia law, a property owner's duty extends to protecting visitors from third-party criminal acts under certain circumstances. Doe v. Prudential-Bache/A.G. Spanos Realty Partners, L.P., 268 Ga. 604, 492 S.E.2d 865 (1997). Specifically, a property owner has a duty to exercise ordinary care to prevent foreseeable third-party criminal attacks. Sturbridge Partners v. Walker, 267 Ga. 785, 786 (1997). It would appear that Days Inn failed to carry out this duty in this circumstance, and the victim would be entitled to monetary damages as a result.
We have recovered millions of dollars for victims of crime in premises liability cases. It is imperative that the victim retain a lawyer to assist him to ensure that all evidence is preserved as video tape surveillance is often destroyed. We wish the victim of this unfortunate incident a speedy recovery, and offer our assistance if needed.
