We recently reported on the rise of sexual assaults at many local hotels, and other public establishments. Additionally, with the economy placing financial pressure on many resorts to cut corners, many hotels and resorts may not have adequate security to properly safeguard against reasonably foreseeable criminal acts, or other acts of negligence.
In Florida, the duty owed to the injured party will depend on the injured party's status on the property at the time of the accident. The general rule in Florida is that a property owner owes a duty to eliminate and protect against reasonably foreseeable intentional acts of third parties. Furthermore, while the general rule in Florida is that a hotel, or resort, is not the insurer of the public safety, they do have a duty to protect guard against a reasonably foreseeable act.
Additionally, hotels and resorts have a non-delegable duty to its guests to ensure that its premises are reasonably safe. One way that a hotel, or resort, may attempt to ensure that its premises are safe is to contract with an outside security company to provide security services on its premises. However, just because the hotel, or resort, may hire the services of a security company, that does not mean that the hotel or resort no longer has a duty to its patrons to keep its premises safe. Quite the contrary, and to repeat, the hotel and resorts have a non-delegable duty to ensure that its guests are reasonable safe from foreseeable harm.
Alvarez & Barbara, LLP has extensive and successful experience representing clients in all areas of negligent security and premises liability claims. It is often helpful to work with an experienced attorney from the early stages of your case in an effort to strengthen the liability theory of your case, and maximize potential recovery.
If you, or a loved one, have been injured in an accident, please contact our office today for an initial free case evaluation and to discuss your rights.
