Las Vegas
Negligent Security
Lawyers

What Is Negligent Security?

Las Vegas negligent security cases involve inadequate security measures at a home or business, which enables a preventable occurrence to cause someone harm.

For example, negligent security at a hotel can allow an otherwise preventable sexual assault to occur on the premises and severely harm a guest.

Nevada Premises Liability Law

Negligent security claims are a subset of premises liability law. Premises liability is an area of law that determines the duties property owners and managers have to their business customers, social guests, or trespassers.

In Nevada, property owners must provide their customers and guests with reasonably safe premises. If you were harmed on another person or business’s property because it was not reasonably safe, specifically due to a lack of security measures, speak with a negligent security attorney about pursuing compensation.

In the past, an owner or manager’s responsibility depended on whether the injured party was an invitee, licensee, or trespasser. Currently, Nevada courts do not focus on these statuses—though they may become relevant if they impact whether or not a property owner’s conduct was reasonable.

• An invitee is someone who is on the property for the owner’s benefit, including business customers, hotel guests, restaurant patrons, retail shoppers, concert-goers, and casino gamblers. Traditionally, property owners owe invitees the highest standard of care. Property owners must routinely inspect their properties for hazards, warn invitees about the hazards, and repair or otherwise protect patrons from the dangers. In certain cases, property owners can be held responsible for hazards they should have known about.
• A licensee is someone who is on the property for the parties’ mutual benefit, including social guests at someone’s home or apartment. Licensees are historically owed a slightly lower duty of care than invitees. Property owners are only required to warn licensees of hazards they are aware of.
• A trespasser is someone who does not have implicit or explicit permission to be on the property. Property owners owe the lowest duty of care to trespassers and are required to not harm trespassers intentionally.

How to Keep Your Property Secure & Safe

Property owners in Las Vegas are responsible for learning about the risk of crime on and around their property. Common crimes may be assault and battery, burglary, robbery, sexual assault, rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, human trafficking, peeping, stalking, and homicide. Then, owners are responsible for taking precautions to prevent these crimes from occurring on their properties.

Appropriate security measures may involve:

• Surveillance cameras in and outside of a building
• Lighting in and outside a building
• Fences and locked gates
• Locked entrances requiring keys or keyguards
• Elevators requiring room keys to gain access to certain floors
• Visible bouncers and security guards
• Plainclothes security personnel
• A trained security advisor or manager

Common Locations for Negligent Security

Negligent security claims can arise on any property. However, our negligent security lawyers commonly handle cases involving:

• Negligent casino security
• Negligent hotel security
• Negligent motel security
• Negligent security at a bar or nightclub
• Negligent security at a restaurant

Pursuing a Premises Liability Lawsuit in Las Vegas

If you are interested in suing a casino for negligence or suing a bar for injuries, you need to talk to a negligent security lawyer about the elements you must prove.

To obtain compensation in a negligent security lawsuit, you must prove:

• The defendant owners the premises or was in control of the premises when the incident took place;
• You were on the premises at the time of the incident with the defendant’s implicit or explicit consent;
• A dangerous condition existed on the premises, such as inadequate security measures;
• The defendant knew or should have known about the dangerous condition; and
• The dangerous condition caused you to suffer a compensable injury.

Compensation for Negligent Security Injuries in Las Vegas

When you are injured in a crime on another party’s property, and the crime was committed because the owner failed to maintain adequate security, talk with a negligent security attorney today.

If you can establish all of the elements of a premises liability claim beyond a preponderance of the evidence, then you can obtain compensation for your past and future:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages and employment benefits
• Property damage
• Other out-of-pocket expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish and emotional distress
• Disability
• Disfigurement
• Reduced quality of life
• Lower earning potential
• Loss of consortium (spousal relationship)

The value of your negligent security clam is impossible to say without talking with you further. Once we learn more about your injuries and the circumstances that led to them, we can offer a more candid evaluation of your claim and potential compensation.

Negligent Security Settlements

If you need to file a lawsuit against a Las Vegas hotel, casino, club, bar, or restaurant, you may benefit from that business having a good insurance policy. When an insurance policy covers your injuries, you may have a strong case for receiving a settlement.

Although insurance coverage exists, that does not mean you should forgo hiring a personal injury attorney and filing a premises liability lawsuit. Insurers will look out for their bottom line first, which means they might try to deny your claim or get you to accept a low settlement offer.

When an experienced negligent security lawyer who has investigated your case and calculated the value of your damages represents you, then you are in a better position to demand full and fair compensation.

However, settlements are not always possible. If the insurer denies your claim or refuses to settle for a fair amount, your only chance to recover compensation is to sue. You will need to take your case through trial and ask a judge or jury to award you compensation.

Were You Assaulted by a Security Guard at a Hotel, Club, or Casino?

At Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC, we also handle injury claims arising from overzealous and dangerous security guards.

Bouncers and other security personnel at hotels, casinos, and nightclubs have a serious job. They need to keep people who may be dangerous or overly intoxicated off the premises. They must pay attention to the number of guests to adhere to the fire code. They also may need to remove someone who is being unruly or violent from the premises.

Unfortunately, bouncers and other security personnel can become too rough and overly aggressive. Many of these employees are untrained. They rely on their strength and violent conduct instead of strictly using only necessary force.

When an aggressive security guard assaults you at a Las Vegas hotel, casino, or club, you may find yourself suffering from severe injuries and being treated in a local ER. At this point, you need to contact an excessive force lawyer and discuss holding the employer and their employer responsible.

Statute of Limitations in Nevada

Nevada law gives you two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. Talk with a lawyer right away. Even if you have two years to file, you should not delay. Pursuing your claim as soon as possible is best.