Atlanta Injury Lawyers Blog

Two women who were shot after they were followed to their car in the parking lot of a night club in Gwinnett County near Atlanta were recently awarded $1,101,589.00 each for their injuries. This premise liability shooting case demonstrates that the public has little tolerance for proprietors of malls, hotels, and apartment complexes who do little or nothing to protect the security of their patrons. As an Atlanta premise liability law firm, we continue to vigorously represent our Clients throughout Georgia against these negligent property owners.

Rapes, sexual assaults, and violent attacks regularly occur in shopping malls, hotels, apartments, and parking lots in Atlanta and other major cities in Georgia. In Georgia, a property owner may be responsible for protecting those legally on his or her property from such criminal acts under certain circumstances. For example, if the owner of a mall, hotel, apartment, or parking lot has reason to anticipate a criminal act based upon the occurrence of prior similar acts, there is then a duty to exercise ordinary care to guard against any further criminal acts. If the owner fails in this duty by failing to control access to his or her premise, by failing to have adequate security, or by failing to have proper lighting on the property, the property owner is liable to anyone suffers injuries as a consequence.

Premise liability cases are difficult and expensive to litigate. Individuals who have been the victim of a rape, shooting, or attack while at a hotel, shopping mall, or apartment complex should be certain that the attorney whom the elect to represent them is qualified and capable of doing so.

Rapes, shootings, and violent crimes are a common occurence in hotels, shopping malls, parking lots, and apartment complexes throughout Atlanta and the state of Georgia. As an Atlanta law firm that represents Clients in these premise liability cases, we are intimately aware of the dangers that patrons face while staying or shopping in these venues. The verdicts awarded by juries throughout Georgia for such incidents can be significant, as is evidenced by a recent $550,000.00 verdict obtained in Cobb County, Georgia.

A Cobb County jury recently awared $550,000.00 to a Plaintiff who was sexually assaulted while staying at a Super 8 Motel. A hotel employee entered her room with a master key and began to touch and lick her while she was asleep. The hotel was sued for failure to conduct a criminal background check on the employee and for entrusting the employee with a master key. The jury heard evidence that, if a criminal background check had been performed, the hotel would have learned that the employee was arrested on multiple occasions prior to and during his employment. The jury was convinced, and held Super 8 liable.

As a premise liability law firm, it is important that we become involved in a hotel/apartment/shopping mall rape, shooting, or attack as soon after the incident as possible. This is critical as premise owners tend to destroy evidence such as video tapes which would evidence liability.