Door Locks and Window Locks
Negligent Security Attorneys Helping Victims in Memphis and Beyond
When you rent an apartment, you expect to be reasonably safe in your home. Unfortunately, criminal attacks sometimes occur in apartment complexes, and the criminal may be a fellow tenant or an outsider. Among other factors, broken door locks and window locks in apartments may increase the danger that someone will attack a tenant. At Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz, our experienced Memphis negligent security lawyers may be able to help you bring a lawsuit against an apartment complex owner whose failure to maintain working door locks and window locks caused your injuries. As the largest personal injury firm based in Tennessee, we have more than 30 attorneys with excellent credentials and over 100 staff members. Our firm serves clients throughout Tennessee, as well as in Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Missouri.
Faulty Door Locks and Window Locks May Result in Criminal Attacks
What must be proven in a negligent security case arising out of a third-party attack in an apartment complex varies somewhat from state to state. In all cases, however, a tenant or social visitor who has been attacked by a third party must be able to establish that the apartment owner or landlord owed a duty to protect them, breached that duty, and thereby was the legal cause of their injuries. The existence of a duty is a question of law that the court in your state will decide. In Tennessee, for example, the state Supreme Court has found a special relationship between a landlord and tenant that requires the landlord to take reasonable measures to keep the tenant safe from the possibility of foreseeable criminal attacks in a particular neighborhood.
One of the first things to consider when determining whether you may have a claim is whether a duty to have working locks was imposed by statute, regulation, or ordinance in the state where you were attacked. When a landlord has a statutory duty to provide working locks for the purpose of providing safety to tenants, the law sets a standard of care. A violation of a safety statute may give rise to a claim of negligence per se.
A victim will also need to establish that the landlord knew or should have known about the damaged door or window locks that allowed the criminal attack. The longer that a defective condition existed, the more likely it is that a landlord should have known about it. There may be notice if the locks were broken for weeks, but there may not be notice if the locks were broken for a much shorter period of time. Your attorney may need to investigate the incident, review maintenance records, interview witnesses, and conduct discovery to determine whether there were complaints about the locks to the landlord.
Discuss Your Negligent Security Case With a Memphis Lawyer
A criminal attack is traumatizing. In many cases, perpetrators do not have the resources to provide compensation for injuries to their victims. However, it may be possible to hold a landlord responsible if a defective property condition allowed a third-party attack to occur. People injured because of broken or damaged door locks and windows should contact the Memphis negligent security attorneys at Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz. We are the largest Tennessee-based personal injury firm, and we also serve victims across Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Missouri. Many of the people who have sought our assistance have come from communities such as Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Jackson, Meridian, Tupelo, Columbus, Grenada, Starkville, Oxford, Hayti, and Caruthersville. Contact our office toll-free by calling 800-LAW-4004 or by completing our online form to set up a free consultation with an injury attorney. Let us show you why NST is the way to go.
