A person who commits an assault holds the primary responsibility for it and could face both criminal and civil charges. Sometimes, though, negligence by a property owner or manager contributes to allowing a sexual assault to occur on their land. They may also hold some civil liability for damages you experienced.
There is a lot involved in holding another person accountable for an assault you suffered. Jacob Mancha is a well-respected and successful civil sexual assault attorney who could guide you through the process. No matter what damages you need to recover for, an Austin premises liability sexual assault lawyer leads your claim through the justice system while also keeping your own personal trauma in mind to minimize any future trauma.
Under traditional negligence law, a property owner is not automatically liable for every single injury that affects a lawful visitor or tenant on their land. Instead, a landowner’s liability for an act of sexual assault is based on whether they breached the “duty of care” they owed to keep their property in reasonably safe condition.
More specifically, landowners who fail to provide adequate security or security measures on their property may be liable for injuries caused by criminal assault. An Austin premises liability sexual assault attorney could explain how negligence is something as simple as a key fob not working properly, or as egregious as a hotel employee allowing a stranger into a guest’s room without their consent. Both of those are real examples of cases where a landowner was held liable for a sexual assault.
It is sometimes difficult to prove an owner was negligent in their security practices to such an extent that they allowed a sexual assault to occur on their property. There are a lot of actions that could be labeled as negligent property management. For example, someone who owns an apartment complex in an area with a high crime rate would be expected to take extra care to keep their own property secure; whereas someone who owned an identical building in a low-crime area might be “reasonable” in skipping some of those measures.
Evidence such as security camera footage, eyewitness testimony, crime statistics for the surrounding areas, and testimony from law enforcement authorities can all play a role in proving a landowner did not provide adequate security. This is another area of the legal process where a premises liability sexual assault lawyer in Austin could investigate and show how it played a part in an assault incident.
No one should be afraid to go someplace because a property owner or manager is careless enough to allow someone who will commit an assault onto the premises. If you were assaulted in part because of a property owner’s negligence, though, they may be civilly liable for what happened to you.
Achieving a positive result from this unique type of civil claim could be much easier and much less stressful with help from an Austin premises liability sexual assault lawyer. Attorney Jacob Mancha knows how difficult it is to put yourself out there after an incident of abuse. Call today to schedule a confidential consultation about the ways in which he can protect you while pursuing justice.
