Premises Liability Lawyers in Encino, CA — Fighting to Hold Reckless Property Owners Accountable

No one starts out their day expecting to suffer an injury. Unfortunately, these expectations often fall short. Even if you do everything right to avoid mishaps, the negligence of others can cause you harm. This is particularly distressing when negligent property owners are to blame for injuries. If you’re rightfully on another person’s property, you should expect safe conditions. If the owners fail to provide this and you’re injured as a result, a premises liability lawyer in Encino, CA, may be able to assist.

At V&A Law Firm, our team of legal professionals works every day to help personal injury victims pursue justice. Whether you were injured visiting an apartment building, while grocery shopping, or — in some cases — even while illegally on someone else’s property, you may have a valid legal claim, our law firm can help you understand your rights and the best way to move forward with your case. Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation. An Encino premises liability attorney can prove invaluable to your case.

What Are Premises Liability Laws in California?

Premises liability law states that property owners or occupants can be held liable for certain injuries or accidents that occur on their premises. For instance, our law offices could be held liable if a client slips on a wet floor that we failed to clean. Similarly, private property owners could be held liable for injuries to friends at their homes — and a restaurant or other business owner could face similar liability. However, it’s important to realize that laws can vary by state.

In California, the rights extended to an injury victim will depend upon their status on a property:

Invitees: When someone is on a property for a public or business purpose, property owners owe a high level of care to them. For instance, a store owner must provide safe conditions for their customers.
Licensees: If someone enters a property for non-business or social purposes, they’re considered a licensee. This includes friends and guests. Property owners also owe a duty of care to these individuals.
Trespassers: If someone is on a property without permission, they’re considered a trespasser. Property owners owe the lowest level of care to these individuals. However, they could still be held liable for injuries if they intentionally cause harm to a trespasser.

This all might seem straightforward, but a premises liability case can get quite complicated. The property owner could claim that someone wasn’t invited to the premises. They could also assert that the injury victim contributed to the accident — thus reducing culpability for the owner. These complexities are just a few of the reasons why you should speak with a premises liability lawyer in Encino, CA, today. It’s important to understand your rights and what you’re entitled to.

Are You Entitled to Compensation?

If you’re lucky, your premises liability claim will be able to resolve without litigation. This is how most personal injury cases conclude. With an experienced legal professional on your side, the insurance company of the negligent party may compensate you for medical treatment, lost wages, and even losses that are non-financial in nature. However, this will typically only be true if they feel that you could prove their policyholder is liable. This is typically done by establishing the following elements:

The defendant owned, occupied, or was in control of the premises.
The defendant was negligent in the maintenance, use, or control of the property.
The plaintiff suffered some form of harm or injury.
The negligence or wrongful acts of the defendant contributed to the injury.

Perhaps a property owner failed to have a maintenance company repair an issue, or maybe a homeowner had a dog but no fence. Regardless of the specific circumstances, premises liability accidents can leave victims seriously harmed and face substantial costs. In such instances, it’s important for you to understand your legal rights and how to exercise them. Our Encino, CA, premises liability attorneys can help in this endeavor.

What Incidents Fall Under Premises Liability?

There are various factors that will dictate whether a property owner or landowner is at fault for serious injuries. Before you start to make assumptions regarding who is responsible, though, it’s important to understand the full scope of premises liability cases. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking this area of law only deals with wet floors and swimming pools. However, a wide array of dangerous conditions could result in substantial compensation for injury victims.

These include:

Slip and fall cases
Amusement park accidents
Injuries on state or public property
Violent assaults
Inadequate lighting
Accidents in hotels
Dog bites
Falls from cruise ships
Swimming pool accidents
Negligent security (e.g., no cameras, security guards)
Escalator accidents
Injuries at grocery stores
Shopping mall incidents
Toxic fumes and other unsafe conditions

Clearly, the amount of hazardous conditions we face during a given day is daunting. Oversights, laziness, or outright illegal actions could result in serious injuries with little to no warning. Put simply, if you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, there’s a chance that you may be entitled to compensation. However, complex premises liability cases can be difficult to prove. This is why it’s so important to have an experienced attorney on your side. Contact V&A Law Firm today for a free initial consultation.

What Damages Are Available in a Premises Liability Accident?

The best premises liability attorneys in Encino, CA, will fight for every penny their clients deserve. This is one reason you should work with a legal professional. If you decide to negotiate with the insurance company on your own, you could unknowingly be leaving behind substantial compensation. For instance, did you know that you might be entitled to damages that exceed your financial losses? We’ll explain this in more detail during your initial consultation, but here are the basics you should know:

Economic damages: This is meant to compensate individuals for monetary losses. Such losses include property damage, medical expenses, therapeutic costs, lost wages, etc.
Non-economic damages: This compensates individuals for non-monetary losses. Recovery is typical for pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment in life, etc.
Punitive damage: When a liability claim shows that the negligent party acted particularly egregious, they may have to pay additional damages as a punitive measure.

Whether it’s a property or business owner at fault for an injury, they may eventually have to pay all these damages. However, not every personal injury victim will be entitled to everything listed above. For instance, it may be challenging to prove that failing to repave a parking lot constitutes an “egregious” act. This and similar difficulties in other cases are why punitive damages are so rare. However, an experienced premises liability lawyer in Encino, CA can help you understand what you’re entitled to.

Contact V&A Law Firm today to discuss your rights in detail.

Contact Our Premises Liability Lawyers in Encino, CA Today

Settlement negotiations are a great way to stay out of court. However, a premises liability lawsuit will sometimes be necessary to secure fair compensation for an injury or wrongful death. Whatever the proper approach in your case, having an experienced legal professional on your side is important. Questions of who’s at fault (e.g., property owners vs. tenants), level of culpability, visitor status, and other concerns can quickly complicate these matters. Don’t try to navigate these complex issues on your own.

At V&A Law Firm, our California personal injury attorneys are here to help. We’ve seen what can happen when public and private property owners engage in negligent or wrongful acts. Such reckless behavior could lead to permanent injuries, and even when harm is relatively minor, it can still create significant disruption to a person’s life. Contact us today by calling 818-369-3270 to schedule your free consultation. Our premises liability lawyers in Encino, CA, will review your case and help you understand all your options.