Premises Liability

What You Should Know if You Have Been Injured on Someone Else’s Property

November 19, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

If you were ever injured on the property of another, you may have considered filing a personal injury lawsuit to hold the property owner liable for your injuries. The following article will provide some helpful information you should know regarding whether property owners are liable for injuries sustained by others on their property.

What is Premises Liability?

Premises liability is a legal concept, based in personal injury law, which alleges that an injury a person sustained resulted from a defective condition on the premises of another (for example, a store owner, landlord, etc.). Regarding slip and fall accidents, the person injured is alleging that she slipped and fell and suffered resulting injuries due to a defective condition (such as wet floors, unsecured rugs, or loose steps).

Exploring Premises Liability and the “Attractive Nuisance” Doctrine

November 5, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

In some cases, property owners can be held liable for injuries that occur to people on their property. Under the “attractive nuisance” doctrine, a property owner can be held responsible if a child is injured on the owner’s property due to some type of artificial condition located on the property that is particularly appealing to children. The following will provide more information about the attractive nuisance doctrine.

What is the “attractive nuisance” doctrine?

The “attractive nuisance” doctrine states that property owners may be liable for injuries to children who trespass on their land if the injury results from a hazardous object or condition on the land that is likely to attract children who are unable to appreciate the specific risk posed by the object or condition.

How to Prevent Swimming Pool Injuries

September 24, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Swimming pool injuries happen frequently and can cause serious damage, especially to children. The following article will provide some helpful tips for preventing swimming pool injuries.

Swimming Pool Injury Statistics

The following section includes some notable statistics regarding swimming pool injuries:

Proving Fault in Georgia Dog Bite Cases

August 20, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

If you were recently injured by a dog in the state of Georgia and you plan to file a personal injury lawsuit against the owner, you should first make sure that you are aware of some potential defenses that the owner may choose to bring up in court.

Georgia’s Dog Bite Liability Statute

Georgia statute O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7 outlines the state’s law on dog bite liability. This statute is based on the concept of strict liability. Strict liability holds a defendant liable for committing specific actions, regardless of what his intent or mental state was when he committed the action. This statute holds that a dog owner is not strictly liable for injuries his dog causes unless:

Georgia’s Negligent Security Laws

June 30, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

In Georgia, property owners can be liable for injuries to people entering their premises. This is because property owners owe a duty to entrants to ensure that their premises are safe. This duty to keep entrants safe on the premises also extends to protecting entrants from the criminal conduct of third parties on the premises. The following will explore the concept of negligent security in Georgia.

What is Negligent Security?

Property owners have a duty to protect people who enter their premises from the criminal conduct of third parties on the premises. The term “negligent security” is used to describe a situation in which a property owner fails to take the appropriate security measures to ensure that entrants are protected from the criminal actions of third parties.

Understanding Georgia’s Slip and Fall Laws

May 28, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Slip and fall accidents currently account for over 1 million hospital visits. If you are injured in a slip and fall accident in Georgia, there are some things you should understand about the state’s laws regarding slip and fall accidents before you decide whether to file a personal injury claim.

You Have to File Your Claim Within Two Years

According to Georgia Code, an individual has two years from the date of the slip and fall accident to file a personal injury claim. This also applies to all other personal injury claims in the state of Georgia.

Summer Brings Heightened Risk of Swimming Pool Injuries

April 23, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

With summertime rapidly approaching, hot sunny days cannot be far behind. Few things go better with a hot summer day than a refreshing dip in a swimming pool. While refreshing, however, that dip in the pool is not risk free, as accidents in and around swimming pools result in thousands of injuries and deaths each year. Young children are particularly at risk, especially those too young to know how to swim. Summer is a time for having fun in and around water, but be sure to exercise necessary cautions.

Pool-Related Injuries and Deaths Happen Frequently

When discussing swimming pool accidents, drownings often are among the first topics raised, and might even be the only topic discussed. Drownings and near-drownings, which are not fatal but can result in severe injuries, are the cause of thousands of deaths and injuries every year. From 2005 through 2014, 3,536 people on average drowned every year. Drowning is the fifth-leading cause of accidental deaths in the U.S. each year. There were more than 3,700 people who died from drowning across the country in 2016. While those drownings took place in all bodies of water, many of those drownings, fatal and non-fatal, occur in swimming pools. Children younger than the age of 15 account for a significant number of those drownings and near-drownings.

Have You Been Injured By a Hazard on Another’s Property?

November 30, 2020 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

The basics of premises liability in Georgia – the laws that apply when you are injured on someone else’s property – are largely the same as in most jurisdictions across the United States. However, Georgia premises liability law has some interesting differences that make it possible you might not be able to recover for an injury caused by a hazard on another’s property. Even with those differences, though, in general a Georgia property owner owes a duty of care to people on the owner’s property with permission, opening the door for potential recovery for injuries suffered there.

What is Premises Liability?

Georgia law on premises liability applies where the owner or occupier of a property owes a duty of care to someone who comes on the property, breaches that duty of care, resulting in injuries, and that the injured visitor experiences damages. The owner’s invitation to enter the property can be expressed – such as where a homeowner invites friends or neighbors to come onto the property – or implied, such as where the owner operates a business that is open to the public. Any property owner or legal occupier can be liable for injuries occurring on the property because of their negligence. That includes homeowners, business property owners, business operators who are leasing their business premises, landlords, property managers, homeowners’ associations – for community-owned common spaces – or even government agencies. The common thread is they are responsible for the safe upkeep of the property and failed to keep the property safe due to their own negligence.

Convenience Store in High-Crime Area Not Liable for Attack on Customer

September 30, 2020 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

The typical premises liability claim involves a customer who is injured slipping and falling in the aisle of a store. In such cases, the legal question is whether or not the store owner breached its legal duty to keep its premises “in a reasonably safe condition” for invited members of the public. The owner is not, however, required to absolutely guarantee a patron’s safety.

ABH Corporation v. Montgomery

In some cases, a store owner’s duty may extend possible criminal acts that occur on its premises. But this can be much trickier to prove than a simple slip and fall. This is because the victim must prove that the store owner had “reason to anticipate” the criminal act and failed to exercise “ordinary care” to protect the public. The mere fact that a crime occurred, or even that the neighborhood may be considered more prone to criminal activity, is not enough to establish the store owner’s legal liability.

11th Circuit: Atlanta Condo Managers Failed to Promptly Inform Insurer of Emlpoyee’s Sexual Assault

August 31, 2020 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

If you are involved in a car accident, you should always promptly notify your auto insurance carrier. Failure to do so may lead the insurer to deny coverage. This is a basic rule of Georgia insurance law that applies equally to large companies. At the end of the day, an insurance policy is a contract, and you are expected to strictly adhere to its terms, including any notice requirements.

Nationwide Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Renaissance Bliss, LLC

Indeed, a failure to notify can affect the rights of third-party victims who may end up suing an insured entity. A recent decision from the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Nationwide Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Renaissance Bliss, LLC, provides an illustration of this principle. This particular case began with the rape of a property manager at a Georgia condominium complex. The sexual assault occurred in the property’s parking lot. When police later arrived at the scene, they learned that the parking lot’s security cameras, which might have captured footage of the assault, were not operational.