Negligent Security Attorney in Los Angeles

Holding Property Owners Accountable When Inadequate Security Causes Harm

When a crime occurs on someone else’s property because the owner failed to provide reasonable security, the victim has legal options. At McGee Lerer Ogrin, we represent people injured at apartments, businesses, parking structures, and other properties across Los Angeles County where inadequate security contributed to their harm. As a husband-and-wife team with over 40 years of combined experience focused entirely on personal injury and wrongful death litigation, we know how these cases are built and how insurers respond to them. Our team includes former insurance adjusters, which means we understand exactly how claims are valued and where pressure gets applied.

How California Law Defines a Property Owner’s Security Obligations

Negligent security is a branch of premises liability, the area of law that holds property owners responsible for dangerous conditions on their premises. California Civil Code Section 1714 establishes the underlying duty of care: property owners, landlords, and business operators must act reasonably to keep people lawfully on their property safe. That duty extends to foreseeable criminal activity by third parties.

The California Supreme Court addressed this directly in Ann M. v. Pacific Plaza Shopping Center (1993), holding that a landowner’s obligation to protect against third-party criminal acts is tied to foreseeability. The law doesn’t require the owner to have predicted the specific crime. It requires that the general type of incident was a foreseeable consequence of failing to maintain adequate security measures.

What You Need to Prove in a Negligent Security Case

A successful claim requires establishing five elements: the property owner owed a duty of care, they breached that duty, the criminal act was foreseeable, the breach caused the injury, and the victim suffered actual damages. The breach element is where physical conditions become critical evidence.

Common indicators of breach include:

• Lighting deficiencies: Burned-out fixtures, unlit stairwells, or dark parking areas that create cover for criminal activity
• Access control failures: Broken gates, malfunctioning key card systems, or unlocked entry points that should be secured
• Missing or disabled cameras: Surveillance equipment that wasn’t maintained, wasn’t monitored, or was never installed in known risk areas
• Inadequate security staffing: Absent guards at high-traffic or high-risk locations despite a documented pattern of incidents

Foreseeability is typically established through prior similar crimes at or near the property, which is why police call logs and incident reports become central to these cases.

Los Angeles Properties Where Negligent Security Injuries Occur

These claims arise across a wide range of property types throughout Los Angeles County. Apartment complexes and gated communities are frequent sites because residents rely on perimeter security they can’t control themselves. Parking structures carry particularly high risk: enclosed layouts, limited foot traffic, and inconsistent lighting create conditions that criminal activity can exploit. Nightclubs and bars, hotels and short-term rentals, shopping centers, and office buildings also generate significant claims when owners fail to respond to known risks.

Why McGee Lerer Ogrin for a Negligent Security Claim

Negligent security cases involve institutional and commercial defendants backed by sophisticated legal teams and insurers who dispute foreseeability early and aggressively. Our background litigating large-scale institutional liability, including a $122.5 million global resolution for institutional sexual abuse victims, reflects our ability to take on well-resourced defendants in complex, emotionally difficult cases.

We pursue what we call “Speedy Settlements” when the evidence and circumstances support it, because serious injuries create immediate financial pressure. Efficient resolution and full value aren’t mutually exclusive, and we don’t sacrifice one for the other. For clients already represented elsewhere, our free second-opinion service provides an honest assessment of whether a case is on track, with no pressure and no cost if they choose to stay where they are.

We also coordinate care through lien-based medical partnerships, so clients can access treatment while we build the documented medical record that supports the claim. Our multiple Los Angeles County offices let us manage cases across the county’s court jurisdictions, connect with regional medical providers, and coordinate investigative needs without geographic friction.