Albany Premises Liability Lawyer

Premises Liability Lawyer Albany, GA

If you were injured or lost a loved one because a property owner in Albany failed to maintain safe conditions or provide adequate security, you have a right to file a civil lawsuit against that property owner.

Our Albany, GA premises liability lawyer at Deitch + Rogers LLC represents crime victims in civil cases against the landlords, businesses, hotels, and commercial property owners whose negligence allowed violent crime to occur on their premises. Premises liability and negligent security are the only types of cases we handle. We have done this work for more than 40 years. Consultations are free, and you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.

Why Choose Deitch + Rogers for Premises Liability Cases in Albany, GA?

The Highest Premises Liability Verdicts in Georgia History

Founding Partner Andrew Rogers holds the record for the highest premises liability verdicts in the State of Georgia in 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019. He graduated from Georgia State University College of Law in 1988, is a charter member of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, and has earned Super Lawyers recognition. Rogers is admitted to practice in all Georgia courts and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Founding Partner Gilbert Deitch began practicing in 1970 and has spent more than five decades building premises liability cases against negligent property owners. He has published on premises liability law in TRIAL Magazine, Verdict Magazine, the Georgia State Bar Journal, Crime Victims’ Litigation Quarterly, and the Fulton County Daily Report. Deitch is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and has appeared on NBC Nightly News and ABC’s 20/20 as a victims’ rights attorney.

Partner Kara Phillips has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2016 and is a member of the American Association for Justice. Partner Michael D’Antignac serves as a member of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta. Both were part of trial teams behind landmark premises liability verdicts, including a $50 million jury award against a nonprofit and a $46 million wrongful death premises liability verdict. As a crime victim lawyer in Albany, GA, the firm brings this depth of experience to families across southwest Georgia.

More Than $207 Million Recovered for Crime Victims

Deitch + Rogers has secured more than $207 million for crime victims and their families in premises liability and negligent security cases. The firm’s results include a $60 million verdict in a sexual assault and institutional negligence case, a $46 million wrongful death premises liability verdict, a $35 million recovery in a catastrophic brain injury premises liability case, a $15 million settlement for an apartment sexual assault, and a $10 million recovery from a shooting on a commercial property.

Contingency Fee. No Cost to You.

We advance every expense. If we do not recover compensation for you, you owe us nothing.

“Very professional and knowledgeable lawyers. They are willing to work hard for your benefit. They handled my case with utmost care and professionalism. Ever since working with them, I felt like I was in good hands.”

• Chris Murad

Read client testimonials on our Google Business Profile.

Types of Premises Liability Cases We Handle in Albany

Property owners in Albany, GA have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. When they fail, and someone is injured or killed as a result of that failure, a premises liability claim allows the victim or their family to hold the property owner accountable. We handle cases involving:

• Apartment negligent security. Tenants and visitors injured or killed at apartment complexes where landlords failed to maintain lighting, locks, gates, cameras, or security patrols. Apartments with a history of criminal activity that take no steps to address the problem face significant civil liability.
• Hotel and motel liability. Guests assaulted, shot, or otherwise harmed at hotels and motels that failed to maintain adequate security measures. Broken door locks, unmonitored hallways, and failure to restrict unauthorized access all contribute to liability.
• Commercial property liability. Customers, employees, and visitors injured at gas stations, retail stores, restaurants, shopping centers, and other commercial venues where the property owner failed to provide basic security measures.
• Parking lot and garage liability. Victims of violent crime in poorly lit, unsecured parking structures where property owners cut costs by eliminating security cameras, emergency call stations, or security patrols.
• Bar and nightclub liability. Patrons injured or killed at establishments that failed to provide security personnel, manage overcrowding, or respond to escalating threats of violence.
• Institutional premises liability. Residents of group homes, treatment facilities, and similar organizations harmed due to understaffing, lack of employee screening, or failure to supervise.
• Sexual assault. Victims assaulted at apartments, hotels, workplaces, and other locations where negligent security created the conditions for the assault. These cases are among the most common premises liability matters we handle.
• Wrongful death. Fatal shootings, assaults, and other violent crimes that occurred because of negligent property conditions. Georgia law allows surviving family members to file a wrongful death premises liability claim against the property owner.

Georgia Legal Requirements for Premises Liability Cases

Georgia’s premises liability law is grounded in O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1, which requires owners and occupiers of land to exercise ordinary care to keep their premises safe. The statute also imposes a duty to warn visitors of hazards that are not open and obvious. In negligent security cases, the “hazard” is the foreseeable risk of criminal activity on the property.

Foreseeability is the central legal question. Georgia courts examine whether the property owner knew or should have known about the risk of criminal activity on the premises. Prior police reports, tenant complaints, incident logs, the crime rate in the surrounding area, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s statewide crime data all factor into this analysis. A property owner who ignores a documented pattern of violence on or near the premises has a difficult time arguing the crime was unforeseeable.

Georgia classifies visitors into categories that affect the property owner’s duty of care. Invitees, such as customers at a business or tenants at an apartment complex, are owed the highest duty. Licensees are owed a lesser duty. Trespassers are generally owed no duty at all, though exceptions exist for children. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-3-2, a property owner is liable for injuries caused by a failure to exercise ordinary care to keep premises safe for invitees.

The civil statute of limitations is two years from the date of injury under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, or two years from the date of death in wrongful death cases. Georgia’s comparative negligence rule under O.C.G.A. § 51-11-7 allows recovery as long as the victim was less than 50% at fault. The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the federal Office for Victims of Crime offer victim assistance programs, but a civil premises liability case against the negligent property owner typically provides far greater financial recovery.

What Damages Are Recoverable in Albany Premises Liability Cases?

Victims of negligent security and premises liability in Albany, GA can pursue three categories of damages through a civil lawsuit.

Economic damages cover every documented financial loss. Medical bills for emergency treatment, surgeries, and hospitalization. Rehabilitation and physical therapy. Future medical expenses for injuries requiring long-term care. Lost wages during recovery. Diminished earning capacity if the injury prevents the victim from returning to their previous occupation. In catastrophic injury cases involving traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, or paralysis, lifetime economic damages can reach into the millions. Our attorneys work with medical providers, life-care planners, and economists to calculate the full projected cost.

Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, PTSD, loss of enjoyment of life, and damage to personal relationships. Georgia law provides juries with broad discretion to award what they consider fair and reasonable. In premises liability cases involving violent crime, juries have shown a willingness to issue substantial non-economic awards, particularly when the evidence shows the property owner had knowledge of prior criminal activity and failed to act.

Punitive damages are available under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1 when the property owner acted with willful misconduct, malice, or conscious disregard for safety. An apartment complex owner who collects rent but refuses to spend money on security despite a documented history of shootings and assaults on the property is a strong candidate for punitive damages. Georgia caps most punitive awards at $250,000, though exceptions apply for specific intentional conduct.

Contact Deitch + Rogers

If you were injured or lost a loved one due to negligent security or unsafe property conditions in Albany, GA, our premises liability attorneys are ready to evaluate your case. The consultation is free and confidential. You pay nothing unless we win.

Deitch + Rogers has spent more than four decades holding negligent property owners accountable when their failures lead to violent crime. We represent victims and families across Albany, Dougherty County, and the rest of southwest Georgia. Contact us to schedule your consultation.