Premises Liability

If you visit a commercial business or are invited onto someone else's property, you likely assume that your safety is not in jeopardy. However, sometimes accidents do occur as a result of the negligent actions of the property owner. Premises liability law states that the property owner holds a legal responsibility for your safety while on his or her property.

The law gives the property owners different responsibilities depending on the relationship of the guest to the property. The three categories of guests include:

• Invitee. An invitee is a customer of a business. Since businesses are open to the public for commercial reasons, anyone who enters is considered to have been invited onto the property. Therefore, owners of a business must assume responsibility and must take proper precautions for the safety and security of guests.
• Licensee. A licensee is a person invited to the property of another for reasons other than business transactions. A property owner can be held responsible for any injuries incurred by guests if the owner knew about the risks and failed to warn them. In addition, the owner is responsible for maintaining his or her property, and can be responsible for injuries from dangerous sources that he or she failed to notice.
• Trespasser. A trespasser is someone who is not invited onto another person's property. Trespassers are offered the least protection under premises liability law, since they were not invited to the property. However, in some cases, a property owner can be held liable for a trespasser's injuries. For example, pool owners have a legal responsibility to keep their pools secure so that neighborhood children cannot sneak into the property and accidentally drown. In addition, the law offers some protection to door-to-door salespeople, even though they were not invited to the property.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one has been injured on someone else's property as a result of the negligence of the property owner, you may have the grounds for legal action. Contact the Appleton personal injury lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C. today at 800-242-2874 to discuss your situation and your legal options with a knowledgeable attorney.