Florida Negligent Security Attorneys

For the past 45 years, Leesfield & Partners has represented victims of crimes and litigated negligent security cases across the state of Florida to obtain reparation and compensation for our clients’ loss. A negligent security claim (commonly referred to as inadequate security) is brought by a person who has been injured due to a criminal act against third-party entities (such as the premises’ owner, manager and/or occupier of the premises) for failing to implement reasonable security measures. These are the entities in a position to control or prevent the incident where the plaintiff was injured from taking place.

Better understanding of Florida Negligent Security

In Florida, targeted entities are those who have a non-delegable duty to their guests (or members of the public) to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances to prevent foreseeable injury. The term “reasonable care” is the level of care that a reasonable person would exercise under similar circumstances. In the realm of inadequate security, reasonable care includes taking reasonable security measures and providing reasonable security under the circumstances to prevent foreseeable criminal attacks.

In some cases a premises owner will be held responsible because they failed to provide any security at all, in other cases the owner may have contracted with a security company, and the question become whether security was adequate under the circumstances. Negligent security cases encompass crimes that result in bodily harm as well as damaged (or stolen) property. These crimes often occur in hotels, motels, parking garages, gas stations, private residences, resorts, malls & shopping centers, office buildings, schools or night clubs.

Examples of negligent security cases handled by Leesfield & Partners

Even since the firm’s inception in 1976, Leesfield & Partners has continuously buttressed its reputation as the leading Florida personal injury law firm by obtaining record verdicts and settlements, including in the area of negligent security. In the last 10 years alone, Leesfield & Partners has represented clients who have been raped, assaulted, killed, who have sustained catastrophic injuries including traumatic brain injuries, facial fractures, or atrocious disfigurement.

$40,580,000 recovery in a case involving the criminal assault of a 51-year-old woman with a hammer in a parking garage.

$2,250,000 consent judgement with a Miami Beach Food Market for the assault and wrongful death of a patron by another patron.

Confidential settlement on behalf of his client who was assaulted in the parking lot of a grocery store by another customer.

$1,000,000 settlement obtained in a case against a bar involving the wrongful death of a 25-year-old man who dropped dead after being “sucker-punched” by another patron. The decedent’s parents retained our firm after finding out the target defendant only had a $25,000 insurance policy.

$25,000,000 lawsuit filed following the brutal assault and rape of an elderly couple staying at the defendant’s motel. The lawsuit alleges that a trespasser committed those crimes while security stood nearby, doing nothing.

$1,510,000 verdict in landmark case Jeffery v. Publix. After witnessing the robbery of an 89-year-old woman, our client chased after the robber’s vehicle. When he caught up to him, he pounded on the tinted window and demanded the return of the purse. The robber fired a shot through the window, striking our client in the chest. The lawsuit was based on the rescue doctrine for failure to have adequate security.

$1,500,000 settlement obtained without filing a lawsuit. A student at a university was killed on campus by the former boyfriend of a girl he was seeing.

$3,200,000 settlement against a university where a foreign visitor attending school in South Florida sustained paraplegic injuries resulting from being shot in the dormitory building as three men attempted to steal his car.

$1,136,000 settlement against an outlet mall on behalf of a young female store clerk who was sexually assaulted in the store in the middle of the day.

$1,045,000 settlement on behalf of a young woman who was raped in a Key West hotel.

$3,000,000 settlement against a bank following the strong-arm robbery of a 24-year-old youth counselor who was using a bank ATM. The perpetrator was high on drugs and alcohol and claimed security would not have deterred him from committing the crime, and claimed plaintiff resisted the robbery. The defendant discharged his gun and rendered our client paraplegic.

What to look for in your negligent security attorney?

When looking for Florida negligent security attorneys, experience and past results should be paramount factors in your determination to retain a firm. Negligent security cases are complex. They require expert knowledge in personal injury litigation in general and inadequate security litigation in particular. Only a handful of law firms in the state of Florida are able to navigate the pitfalls of negligent security cases. One last important element in a prospective client’s inquiry is to choose a firm that guarantees a robust financial backing. Many law firms will take on negligent security claims only to fold at the first settlement offer because they do not have the financial means to engage in a costly protracted litigation.

Leesfield & Partners has been on the national leading edge of inadequate security cases. Our negligent security lawyers have been published and they have litigated inadequate security case all across the state of Florida and nationwide. Our Florida negligent security attorneys cumulate a near century of inadequate security litigation experience. If you have any questions about this area of law, or about your specific case, please contact our firm directly through our website or call us at 800-836-6400 to speak with us immediately.

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