Generally speaking, people are responsible for their own decisions and behavior. If one person assaults someone else, the assailant could face both prosecution and civil litigation. They may have to compensate the victim for medical expenses, property damage losses and even lost wages.
Frequently, those who commit violent crimes or property offenses may lack the resources necessary to adequately compensate their victims. People affected by crime may need to look at every option for compensation.
Is it ever possible to hold a property owner, such as a business, responsible for crimes that occur on private property?
Negligent security could create liability
Property owners sometimes face premises liability claims. People injured on private property can hold owners or business tenants accountable for negligence leading to injuries. Often, claims of negligence relate to improper facility maintenance.
However, inadequate security is another common form of negligence. Businesses and property owners should be aware of crime rates in an area. Business plans should also take common crimes associated with a certain business model into consideration. Those starting bars or nightclubs, for example, may need to train their workers on how to respond when one customer attempts to put drugs in another’s drink.
Proper security measures can prevent many different types of crimes, including assaults and robberies. If other reasonable people agree that the business or property owner contributed to the scenario with inadequate security measures, the victim of the crime could take legal action.
Provided that there is evidence that a property owner or business could have reasonably predicted a crime and prevented it with security measures, the victim of the crime may have grounds for a premises liability lawsuit. Evaluating the circumstances of a criminal incident with a skilled legal team can help people evaluate their options for compensation.