Five Examples of Negligent Security Lawsuits
Businesses have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. When business owners, apartment complexes, resorts, or retail locations fail to use reasonably safe security practices, victims have a right to bring a negligent security lawsuit against them. We will discuss five examples of negligent security lawsuits below.
1) Negligent Security Practices Leading to Assault
An 84-year-old woman recently filed a negligent security lawsuit against a casino after suffering serious injuries due to an assault and kidnapping. The incident occurred in 2019 when she and her husband were at a local casino. An assailant allegedly struck the 84-year-old woman in the head then kidnapped her by forcing her into his vehicle. He continued to assault her as she begged for her life and stole $7 from her curse. The assailant has been sentenced to over a year in state prison. The woman is alleging that the casino was negligent and its security practices, leading to her assault.
Specifically, she and her husband alleged that the casino’s security cameras and surveillance should have caught the incident on film in real-time and alerted a security officer to intervene and help her. The woman screamed while the assailant attacked her and forced her into the car, but her screams went unanswered by the casino’s security staff. According to her, the casino only offered her a free dinner as compensation for her injuries. She is requesting damages for her medical expenses and the pain and suffering she has endured.
2) Negligent Security on College Campuses
An Oregon University student’s mother has brought a wrongful death lawsuit based on negligent security practices against the university, alleging that their negligence caused her son’s death. Her son was a football player who was shot to death in 2018 after leaving a party held on the university’s campus. Two men were later charged for his murder. The victim’s mother also brought the lawsuit against the fraternity that held the party and the company that provided private security after the party.
The lawsuit alleges that the university’s administrators had lacked security at the party and negligently allowed non-students to enter the campus and attend the party. The people who allegedly shot the victim were not students at any university or college in Oregon. The lawsuit alleges that the university’s police officers in charge of overseeing special events ignored warning signs that dangerous shootings could have occurred. The mother’s attorneys allege that the university negligently ignored a survey that suggested the university should use more law enforcement officers at parties and events.
3) Negligent Security at a Self-Storage Unit
A plastic surgeon has filed a negligent security lawsuit against a self-storage company after he was allegedly kidnapped and tortured inside a storage unit. He claims that the storage company did not have enough security measures to prevent a violent assault and kidnapping from being carried out during the nighttime. He was abducted in a parking garage in a nearby Walmart by assailants armed with guns. His assailants allegedly took him to a storage unit and tortured him for hours after tying him to a rolling chair and threatening to kill him if he did not give them money. Police officers found him tied up, bruised, and burned in the parking lot later that morning.
The plastic surgeon alleges that he would not have been assaulted and tortured had the storage facility used adequate security measures. He alleges that they should have more thoroughly monitored visitors during the nighttime. The plastic surgeon is seeking to hold the storage company accountable for failing to stop his assailants from accessing the storage unit after hours. The surgeon has also named Walmart as a defendant in the suit, arguing that they should have had more security and contact with law enforcement to prevent his abduction from their parking lot.
4) Negligent Security at Ski Resorts
A 34-year-old man from California and his good friend were swept up in a Lake Tahoe avalanche in January of 2020. The 34-year-old from California died in the Avalanche, and his friend suffered severe injuries. The man’s widow has filed a negligent security lawsuit against the ski resort. She alleges that the ski resort negligently opened its slopes during unsafe conditions during the busy holiday season.
In addition to her claim that the ski resort had negligent security practices regarding avalanches, she is also suing for breach of contract and gross negligence. She will need to prove that the ski resort knew or should have known about the dangerous conditions and failed to keep their customers safe by closing down the slopes.
Specifically, she claims that when the ski resort prematurely opened due to economic pressures, they showed a callous disregard for the dangerous weather and snow conditions. She also claims that by reopening after they had been closed the day before, the ski resort created a reckless illusion that it was safe to ski on the slopes. The victim who passed away was an experienced skier.
5) Negligent Security Cases Involving Protesters
The family of a woman killed by a driver going the wrong way has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Seattle. The victim’s family alleges that the Seattle Police Department should have stopped the car accident from happening. The family alleges that the police officers provided negligent security during a Black Lives Matter march, allowing protesters to block interstate I-5, leading to the wrong-way accident.
Contact a Negligent Security Lawyer Today
If you or your loved one has become injured due to another person or company’s negligent security practices, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Rice McGowan & Brandt, today to schedule your free initial consultation.
