The holiday season attracts shoppers and people doing good deeds for others. Unfortunately, increased crowds and people’s willingness to help strangers sometimes leads to violent crimes such as robbery and assault, and some people’s gifts may be stolen from their cars while parked in parking lots. If you become the victim of a crime while out and about this holiday season, you may be entitled to compensation for negligent security. Contact the Law Offices of Todd R. Durham to find out more.
Security and Liability
In some cases, businesses are legally responsible for security problems on their property. Premises liability laws are complicated, but the basic idea is that if it was reasonable to expect breaches of security and the owner of the property didn’t do anything to try to prevent security problems, he or she is liable for damages related to poor security.
In terms of the holidays, this means a couple of things:
- Malls and other businesses may be liable for your car being broken into if there are no security cameras or security guards in the parking lot.
- If underground garages aren’t properly lit, the owner of the garage may be liable if a patron is attacked in the garage.
- Businesses may be liable if they don’t have procedures in place to ensure that only shoppers are frequenting the business. For example, if a business doesn’t do anything about homeless people or teens loitering on the premises, he or she may be liable if one of the loiterers commits a crime.
It can be devastating to be robbed or otherwise attacked while doing holiday shopping, especially if you were getting gifts for people who can’t afford a full holiday. Getting compensation won’t undo the crime, but it can help you replace lost items and pay for medical expenses related to the incident. Please contact Lewisville attorney Todd R. Durham at 214-222-4000 to schedule a consultation.
