Inadequate Security
Atlanta, Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer


The owner of commercial property has a duty to exercise ordinary care for the safety of the people who come on the property to do business. The property owner=s responsibility for injuries due to criminal attacks depends on several issues. First, how likely was it that a crime would occur on the property? That may depend on how much crime there had been on the property and in the neighborhood before the attack.

Once it is foreseeable that crime might occur on commercial property, the owner has a duty to protect customers against criminal acts. Whether the property owner has acted in a reasonable manner in providing security is frequently a question that a jury must answer.

There are some things that business owners should know that most people do not. For example:

• 80% of the criminal acts at shopping centers, strip malls, and business offices occur in the parking lot.
• Several things can be done to deter and prevent crime including using TV cameras, having appropriate lighting, fencing the perimeter of the property, having controlled access to parking lots, having intercoms and alarms, and having roving security guards.

If a business knows or should know that there is significant crime on its property or in the neighborhood, it must act reasonably. Obviously Wal-Mart and Home Depot can afford to spend more on security than the Mom and Pop business.

If you or someone you care about has been a victim of crime due to inadequate security, contact The Law Offices of Michael Lawson Neff at 404-531-9700 or send an e-mail at mneff@mlnlaw.com for a free consultation. Like other claims, if you do not act quickly you may lose your right to recover or valuable evidence may be destroyed.