Pursuing Compensation For Victims Of Crime
Crime victims in Gwinnett County and elsewhere in Georgia have access to civil justice. While the criminal system is focused on punishing the wrongdoer, the civil system allows you to recover losses from the perpetrator and any responsible party.
Too often, the owners of commercial establishments (hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, apartments) knowingly ignore security and safety concerns or fail to take reasonably acceptable steps to protect their customers, guests, residents, etc.
Kenney & Medina, P.C. handles cases against those commercial establishments that put profit over the safety and security of their guests and customers. Our goal is to bring civil justice to criminal acts. We can pursue compensation for injuries and losses arising from:
- Assault
- Battery
- Rape
- Sexual Assault
- Property Damage
- Other personal harm from negligent security
Understanding The Impact On Crime Victims
Being the victim of a crime on someone’s property creates devastating consequences that extend beyond immediate physical injuries. The psychological trauma from assault, battery, rape or sexual assault can persist for years, requiring extensive therapy and counseling to address post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression.
The financial burden compounds the emotional suffering as victims face mounting medical bills, lost wages from missed work during recovery and ongoing treatment costs. Through premises liability claims, Kenney & Medina, P.C., can help victims pursue compensation to address immediate expenses and long-term needs while holding negligent property owners accountable.
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime Victim Compensation
Crime victims often have questions about their legal rights and options for seeking compensation from negligent property owners. Here are answers to common concerns:
What is premises liability, and how does it relate to crime victims?
Premises liability holds property owners responsible for maintaining reasonably safe conditions on their property, including implementing adequate security measures to protect visitors from foreseeable criminal acts. When property owners fail to provide proper lighting, security cameras, trained personnel or access controls in areas with known crime problems, they may be held liable for injuries.
The law recognizes that while property owners cannot prevent all crimes, they have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect people on their premises from foreseeable criminal activity based on the property’s location, history and surrounding circumstances.
Can I sue a property owner if I was attacked on their property?
You may be able to sue a property owner if they failed to provide adequate security and that failure contributed to your attack. Key factors include whether the property owner knew or should have known about security risks, whether they took reasonable steps to address those risks and whether their negligence created conditions that allowed the attack to occur.
Examples of negligent security include:
- Inadequate lighting in parking areas
- Broken security cameras
- Lack of security personnel in high-crime areas
- Failure to control access to residential buildings
- Ignoring previous incidents that indicated security problems
What evidence is needed to support a premises liability claim as a crime victim?
Strong claims require evidence demonstrating the property owner’s knowledge of security risks and their failure to take appropriate action. Important evidence includes police reports documenting your attack and any previous crimes on the property, photographs showing inadequate lighting or broken security features, witness statements about security conditions and documentation of the property’s crime history.
Additional evidence may include security camera footage, maintenance records showing neglected security equipment, expert testimony about appropriate security standards for similar properties and proof of the property owner’s awareness of security problems through tenant complaints or previous incidents.
Kenney & Medina, P.C., works with security professionals and investigators to gather comprehensive evidence that demonstrates how the property owner’s negligence created dangerous conditions that enabled your attack to occur.
Our attorneys at Kenney & Medina, P.C. have decades of experience in personal injury litigation, including premises liability lawsuits for negligent security. If you were the victim of a crime in Gwinnett County or anywhere else in Georgia, we can gauge whether you have a possible case against the property owner. Call us at 770-564-1600 or use our online form.