A property owner can be liable for inadequate security in Colorado when the circumstances meet the state’s premises liability requirements, and the landowner’s unreasonable failure to use reasonable care causes an injury. An inadequate security or premises liability claim after an assault or other violent incident can depend on your reason for being on the property, the security risk involved, and what the landowner knew or should have known.
Based in Boulder, CO, Jeffress Law, PC, also works with clients in Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland, and nearby communities. Christopher W. Jeffress has practiced law since 1991 and began his career defending insurance companies and large corporations. He has also been recognized as a Top 10 Attorney. Antwan D. Hampton, Jr. has experience on both sides of injury claims and later served as a Colorado prosecutor. As a small firm, Jeffress Law gives clients direct communication and close attention throughout their cases.
When Can Poor Security Lead to Liability?
In Colorado, your status on the property affects the landowner’s legal duty to you. For example, a customer or other invitee can seek damages for injuries caused by a landowner’s failure to use reasonable care against dangers they knew about or should have known about.
A security case doesn’t automatically exist simply because a crime occurred on someone else’s property. The injury must connect to a danger that falls within the landowner’s legal responsibility. Depending on the circumstances, relevant evidence may include prior violent incidents, repeated complaints, broken locks, unsecured entrances, poor lighting, malfunctioning gates, or other signs that people on the property faced a security risk.
What Evidence Can Show Inadequate Security?
Much of the evidence in an inadequate security case can be held by the property owner, manager, or another business. Examples of useful records include:
- Surveillance video
- Incident and police reports
- Prior complaints from tenants, guests, or customers
- Maintenance records for locks, gates, lighting, and cameras
- Security logs and staffing records
- Photos of entrances, stairwells, parking areas, or other relevant locations
- Witness statements
Preserving this material quickly matters because video can be erased or overwritten, and physical conditions can change after an incident.
Who Can Be Responsible?
The legally responsible party isn’t always the person or company listed on the deed. Colorado premises liability law may also apply to other people or businesses that possess the property or are legally responsible for its condition, activities, or circumstances.
Depending on who controlled the area and the security issue involved, a claim can involve a property owner, property manager, tenant business, or another party connected to the premises.
Discuss an Inadequate Security Injury With Jeffress Law
After a serious assault or property-related injury, identifying who controlled the premises can be just as important as documenting what happened. Jeffress Law, PC, represents people in Boulder, CO, Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland, and nearby areas. Contact us or call 303-993-8685 to discuss your situation with Christopher W. Jeffress and Antwan D. Hampton, Jr.
