Florida Premises Liability Law Firm

Florida Premises Liability Law

Florida premises liability law was designed to simplify the process of assigning liability when one person is injured on the property of another person or party. If you have ever been involved in this sort of case before, however, you may have noticed that the litigation is rarely as simple as it sounds. The reasons for this are manifold and many of them are justifiable, but that doesn't change the fact that you will need an expert guide if you want to mount and win a successful premises liability suit anywhere in the state of Florida.

The complexity arises as the law begins to define different kinds of visitors. It only stands to reason that the owner of a property shouldn't bear the same responsibility for an injury to a trespasser as, say, a customer in his store. Here is where the law attempts to delineate and distinguish different levels of liability. Florida premises liability statutes recognize three distinct types of visitors:

• Business invitees, meaning anyone who has come to do business at a store or place of business
• Licensees, meaning social guests and other visitors whose presence is welcome and encouraged
• And trespassers, who represent an unforeseen and unwelcome population of visitors

The responsibility of the owner to adequately and reasonably secure the property from hazards rises as you read this list from bottom to top. In other words, trespassers face an uphill battle trying to bring a premises liability lawsuit, as many courts will rightly determine that the owner could not have predicted their presence. Invitees and licensees, on the other hand, may reasonably expect that hazards have either been resolved or clearly marked – anything less than such diligence will generally imply liability for the owner. This includes apartment leases, as landlords cannot be expected to inspect or maintain property they no longer have access to on a daily basis.

So how can you win a premises liability lawsuit in Florida? Step one is to retain an experienced attorney, as proving negligence in a premises case can be complex and demanding. It is not unusual for the testimony of engineers and physicians to be called upon to corroborate a Florida premises liability case, and marshaling such experts to your side takes considerable wherewithal and resources. Here at Farah and Farah, we have been at the forefront of efforts to protect the victims of dangerous premises for over two decades, and today we are considered some of the state's best-regarded premises liability attorneys. For a free consultation, please contact the Florida premises liability experts of Farah and Farah today.