Premises Liability Lawyer Philadelphia
How a Philadelphia Premises Liability Lawyer Will Help With Your Case
The premises liability lawyers at Cousin Benny help you get the maximum recovery possible from your premises liability claim.
Areas We Serve
- Center City, Philly
- Northeast Philadelphia
- South Philadelphia
- West Philadelphia
- North Philadelphia
When you work with our premises liability lawyers, you can rest assured that your case is in experienced hands. Our promise to:
- Thoroughly investigate your case
- Gather all needed evidence such as police reports and witness statements
- Handle all correspondence with defendants’ attorneys, the court, and insurance companies
- Consult with expert witnesses when necessary to maximize your premises liability claim
- Negotiate with defendant’s lawyers and insurance companies
- Keep you apprised of developments in your premises liability case
- Litigate in court if the defendants’ insurance companies refuse to pay what you deserve
Cousin Benny
A Team That Fights For You
Cousin Benny’s team of experts and experienced Philadelphia premises liability lawyers only know one way to get things done, and that’s by winning cases. For over 15 years, we’ve proudly served the Philadelphia area with world-class litigation and legal services, and we’re just getting started.
If you want a tough Philadelphia premises liability attorney ready to stand in your corner until the final bell sounds, look no further–Cousin Benny is the law firm that fights for your right to a fair settlement.
Getting You the Compensation You Deserve
With an undying passion for helping the good people of Philadelphia, the lawyers of Cousin Benny are determined to get you the premises liability settlement you deserve. If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, you may have a case worth thousands or more!
To find out how much your case is worth, contact a Philadelphia premises liability lawyer at Cousin Benny today for a free consultation!
We Handle All Types of Premises Liability Cases
Premises liability claims are common types of injury cases where a person is injured on someone’s property. If the owner or manager of the property is liable for those injuries, they’ll be responsible for compensating the injured party. Here are the most common types of premise liability cases:
Dog Bites
Dog attacks are common premises liability cases in which a dog attacks and bites a person, usually leading to substantial injuries. Dog bites can run the gamut from severe maulings to less severe cases where skin is barely broken.
It’s important to discuss your case manner with an experienced premises liability lawyer so they can help determine if your case is worth pursuing. You would be surprised to learn what compensation you may be entitled to.
Slip and Fall Accidents
You’re eligible for compensation if a property owner’s or manager’s actions–or lack thereof–contributed to or caused your slip-and-fall injuries. The burden of proof is on your lawyer, though. Your Philadelphia slip and fall attorney must prove that the owner’s or manager’s negligence led to the accident and your injuries.
Inadequate Maintenance
Inadequate maintenance of property in Philadelphia has caused devastating slip and fall accidents. If a property owner or manager failed to maintain their property and you were injured as a result, you may have a premises liability claim. Call us to find out.
Types of Damages Available in Premises Liability Accidents
Economic
Economic damages are the costs you incur due to a premises liability accident. If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, chances are you incurred some medical expenses and perhaps missed some time at work.
Economic damages are easily calculated by tallying medical bills, time away from work, and anything else that constitutes a financial loss due to the injury you suffered. If your injury is severe, you may be entitled to compensation for future earnings and medical care.
Non-Economic
Non-economic damages compensate for emotional distress, such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, or disfigurement. Because these damages do not come with an invoice and are subjective, it’s much more difficult to calculate how much you are due. An experienced Philadelphia premises liability lawyer can assess your situation and tell you how much people like you have been awarded in non-economic damages.
Punitive
Punitive damages are imposed upon defendants whose conduct in causing your injury was more egregious than mere negligence. Courts impose punitive damages to punish the defendant and to deter others from that conduct. In Pennsylvania, punitive damages are usually capped at twice the amount of compensatory damages.
Elements That Need to be Proven in a Premises Liability Case
Duty of Care
In order to show that someone was responsible for your premises liability injury, you need to identify those who had a duty of care to you. In premises liability, the duty of care of a property owner or manager is to maintain the property responsibly and warn and cordon off hazardous conditions. The person owing you a duty of care may be the property owner, manager, developer, lessee, or any or all of these.
Breach of Duty
What constitutes breach of the duty of care will vary depending upon the type of property it is. For example, allowing a spill to remain on a slippery floor in a grocery store for fifteen minutes may be a breach of the duty of care to keep aisles safe to walk through.
Failing to erect a fence around a construction site or post warning signs near ditches may be a breach of the duty of care. Failing to have adequate lighting or security in a mall parking lot may be a breach of the duty of care.
Status of the Person on the Property
What you are doing on the property and whether you were invited on or allowed on the property may affect your premises liability claim in Pennsylvania, because it affects the duty of care the property owner or manager owes you.
Invitee
You are classified as an invitee if you have either express or implied permission to be on the property, whether for a business purpose or a social purpose. A restaurant patron or a shopper at a clothing store is an invitee.
Under Pennsylvania Law, a property owner or manager owes an invitee the highest duty of care, which is the duty of care to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition and to either repair or warn of any dangerous condition on the property that it either knew about, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known existed.
Licensee
You are classified as a licensee if you are invited on the property for some personal or social purpose that doesn’t benefit the owner of the property financially. Someone attending a party at a friend’s house is considered a licensee.
Under Pennsylvania law, a lesser duty of care is owed to a licensee. A property owner or manager owes a duty of care to warn licensees of any known hazards, but there is no positive duty to inspect for dangerous conditions or to repair dangerous conditions once they are discovered.
Trespasser
You are classified as a trespasser if you enter a property without permission or the consent of the property owner and/or person/business renting that property.
Under Pennsylvania law, the duty of care owed to trespassers is very low. A property owner or manager need only refrain from willful, wanton or reckless conduct that could harm a trespasser, such as letting a vicious dog run loose.
Attractive Nuisance
The “Attractive Nuisance Doctrine” is an exception to the law regarding trespassers in Pennsylvania. If a property owner or manager knows that children are entering the property to investigate something that is attractive to them, such as a swimming pool, athletic fields, a lake, a barn, or farm animals, they must take reasonable steps to make the premises safe such as limiting access to the attractive nuisance or removing it.
FAQs about Premises Liability in Pennsylvania
Who Can Be Held Liable Under Pennsylvania’s Premises Liability Law?
Anyone responsible for the property’s condition can be held liable and be made to pay for injuries occurring on the property due to their negligence. This may include the property owner, lessee or tenant, manager, developer, and builder.
Is Philadelphia Liable if I am Injured on Public Property?
The City of Philadelphia may be held liable for injuries occurring on government or public property in certain restricted circumstances. If you’ve been injured on city or public property, call us to discuss your case.
What is the Statute of Limitations for Premises Liability Cases?
Under Pennsylvania law, someone with a premises liability case must file their injury claim within two (2) years of the date of the incident.