SHOOTINGS & NEGLIGENT SECURITY ATTORNEYS IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
The COMBIES HANSON, P.C. Law Firm litigates cases involving the failure to provide adequate security resulting in the victim suffering severe injuries and/or death.
Apartment buildings, as well as establishments such as bars, restaurants, strip malls, shopping centers, ATM kiosks, banks, parking lots and hotels have all been subjects of successfully litigated negligent security claims. By representing individuals permanently injured in cases stemming from negligent security, we take an active role in making the community safe for the public. In 2017, one of our seven figure negligent security settlements was showcased in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly top settlements of the year annual edition.
Negligent security cases reveal that crime can occur more often in locations without security, and in some cases, property owners know about previous incidents and do nothing. The terrible tragedy that may have plagued one family may have been just one of many. If a property owner ignores the problem, it’s likely to happen again.
That’s where we come in. Combies Hanson helps victims of violence recover compensation for their injuries, which were caused by security failures and the absence of reasonable preventive measures like cameras and proper lighting.
SHOOTING CASES WE HANDLE
Apartment shootings
Nightclub shootings
Bar/restaurant shootings
Violent attacks at ATM machines and bank kiosks
Drive-by shootings at private or public housing complexes
Parking garage and parking lot shootings
Hotel attacks
Shootings and attacks at strip malls and shopping malls and office buildings
OTHER NEGLIGENT SECURITY CASES WE HANDLE
Civil recoveries for rape and sexual assault
Human trafficking cases
Catastrophic injuries from preventable crimes
NEGLIGENT SECURITY: INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR CIVIL LAWSUITS
Insurance coverage for negligent security lawsuits spans a number of property types and crimes.
The lawsuits – known as Negligent Security cases - are brought by the loved ones of murder victims, and center on the culpability of the property owner. In essence, the lawsuit answers the question:
“Did the business or property owner where the crime occurred have reasonable security measures in place to keep visitors safe from foreseeable harm?”
If an ownership group was notified similar crimes were occurring on its property time and time again, it has a responsibility to act. In some case, these same ownership groups are given lucrative tax breaks and government grants to hire security. When they don’t, they jeopardize the safety of residents and guests. Often times, ownership groups take the government funds earmarked for security and reinvest them for further financial gain or redistribute the funds amongst themselves in the form of bonuses.
Our motto in cases like this is follow the money trail.
If a history of violent crime plagues a property, and its owners syphon security funds for their own personal gain, a civil lawsuit may trigger insurance coverage and substantial compensation for a victim’s family, including punitive damages.
Withholding funds is not the only way in which to prove a Negligent Security case. So long as there are similar crimes on the property, and the property owner made no effort to install reasonable security measures, liability may prove the owner responsible for the death, and insurance may cover the judgment.
NEGLIGENT SECURITY: WHAT MUST BE PROVEN
Of course, every lawsuit is different, and results are never guaranteed. Proving a negligent security lawsuit, however, does follows a blueprint rooted in Massachusetts case law. If successful, recoveries can reach well into the millions of dollars. Losing a loved one is tragic enough, but to make matters worse, sometimes that person also served as a primary source of economic support for his or her family. In those circumstances, insurance proceeds from civil lawsuits may be the only way to keep a mortgage paid, debt collectors satisfied and a child’s dreams of college alive.
In 2017 our office recovered $2,000,000 (Two Million Dollars) for the family of a victim gunned down in Boston. Cases like these are successful in civil court when evidence demonstrates that property owners, or their management companies, are negligent.
Negligent Security falls under premises liability law. In short, property owners have to take reasonable steps to ensure a safe environment for anyone frequenting their property. Measures taken to provide a safe environment fluctuate with the size of the property and the likelihood that violent crime will occur. Responsibility for reasonable security measures fluctuates with the amount of prior crimes on the property and the likelihood of it happening again. If a bar or nightclub has a notorious history of shootings and murders in its parking lot, a property owner must take reasonable measures to prevent against this type of crime from occurring again. Security prevention can include everything from cameras and metal detectors to bouncers and police officer details. In apartment buildings, reasonable security measures begin with working locks on doors and windows.
Property owners that fail to provide even basic security measures when there exists a history of known violent crime, does so at its own peril.
To prove Negligent Security cases, Combies Hanson, P.C. utilizes respected security experts to identify the threat level a particular property poses to guests and visitors. We also work with police officers, detectives, and municipal government to identify if problem properties are neglected by its owners. In some cases, we pull records related to revitalization projects, federal and state grants and loans, and tax incentives. Often property owners themselves concede in depositions that they made no efforts to secure the property, even after local police highlight ongoing problems with crime. This is especially true at night clubs where owners refuse to secure the neighboring parking lots where fights and tragic deaths sometimes occur.
NEGLIGENT SECURITY: GETTING HELP
If you’re looking for help following the tragic events described in this article, call our office for a no-cost consultation. We will talk to you about your options and your likelihood of success.
Our office accepts Negligent Security cases on a Contingency Fee basis only. In other words, you don’t pay any up-front costs or fees. Attorney’s fees are paid from the funds we recover for you. Our legal fee is paid when you either settle your case or win in court. If you aren’t successful, we don’t get paid. Simple as that.
Our office has a proven track record of success. In 2017, we obtained a $2 Million Dollar settlement in a negligent security case where a young woman was shot in a drive by shooting. It was in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Largest Settlements and Verdicts edition. That’s just one example of our proven results. In tragic cases like these, it’s incredibly important to hire a lawyer experienced in Negligent Security cases.
For more information, feel free to contact our office at (617) 556-9964 or reach usby email at info@combieshanson.com.
CAN YOU TRUST US? OF COURSE, BUT FIND OUT WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID.
The lawyers at Combies Hanson, P.C. are recipients of the prestigious Super Lawyers award. This peer-reviewed agency nominates, evaluates, and awards those lawyers in the top 5% of their field. Peer nominations are reviewed every year.
Combies Hanson lawyers have received this prestigious award in the field of Personal Injury EVERY YEAR since 2013. Click the links below to look us up:
Matthew Hanson, Esq. Adam J. Combies, Esq. Christopher J. Pasquale, Esq.
DON’T PAY US ANY UPFRONT COSTS. WE GET PAID FROM THE FUNDS WE GET FOR YOU.
We work off our own merit, taking cases on a Contingency Fee basis only. In other words, you don’t pay us any up front costs or fees. We get paid from the funds we recover for you. Our legal fee is paid when you either settle your case or win in court. If you aren’t successful, we don’t get paid. Simple as that.
MILLIONS RECOVERED FOR OUR CLIENTS.
Our office has a proven track record of success. In 2017, we obtained a $2 Million Dollar settlement in a negligent security case where a young woman was shot in a drive by shooting. It was in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Largest Settlements and Verdicts edition. That’s just one example of our proven results. Our case results website details some of our wins. Click here to see more of them.
WE LISTEN. WE HELP. WE CARE.
There are a lot of attorneys out there. But how receptive are they to your problem? Do they offer you their cell phone number for weekend updates? Do they have an open-door policy at the office? How easy it to reach them? Have they handled six and seven-figure personal injury cases before?
If you want to reach us, just call or email. We’re here. We’re ready to listen. To help. Because it’s our communities, our friends and our neighbors. And that’s why we care.
Call or email Attorney Matthew Hanson directly for a free consultation at mhanson@combieshanson.com