Negligent Security

Negligent Security Attorney in Glendale

Holding Property Owners Accountable for Preventable Attacks Since 1997

When a property owner fails to maintain reasonable security measures and someone is harmed as a result, California law provides a path to compensation. Courts have long interpreted the duty of ordinary care under Civil Code section 1714 to include protecting visitors from foreseeable criminal acts by third parties. That duty is the foundation of a negligent security claim, a form of premises liability that holds landlords, businesses, and other property controllers responsible for the safety failures that made an attack possible.

At Law Offices of Harout Balian, we’ve represented personal injury clients in Glendale and throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area since 1997. Our clients work directly with Attorney Harout Balian throughout their case, not a rotating cast of paralegals. We handle cases in Armenian, Spanish, and English, and we work on a contingency fee basis: no upfront costs, and no fee unless we recover compensation for you.

If you or a family member were injured due to inadequate security at a property in Glendale or the surrounding area, call us at (818) 938-2597 for a free consultation.

Properties Where Negligent Security Claims Arise

California law imposes security obligations across a wide range of property types. Apartment complexes, shopping centers, parking garages, hotels, bars and nightclubs, office buildings, hospitals, and entertainment venues are all subject to the duty of reasonable care. That obligation doesn’t disappear because a property is privately owned or because crime is common in the area.

Many incidents occur in locations where security failures are hardest to see until something goes wrong: parking structures, stairwells, ATM areas, and building common areas where broken lighting or failed access controls create the conditions for an attack. Claims can arise on private, commercial, and public property. Incidents involving government-owned property carry additional procedural requirements and shorter deadlines than standard civil claims, which is one more reason early legal consultation matters.

Who Can Be Held Liable Beyond the Attacker

A negligent security claim targets the parties whose control of the property contributed to the harm, not just the person who committed the criminal act. California law allows claims against property owners, landlords, property management companies, corporate entities that control the premises, security guard contractors, and event promoters. When a security company provided undertrained or understaffed guards, both the contractor and the property owner who hired them may face liability.

Excessive force by a security guard is a separate category of claim. Improper restraint, use of a weapon without legal justification, or detention beyond what circumstances permitted can give rise to a civil claim against the guard’s employer and the property owner. And when an attacker is criminally prosecuted and convicted, that result doesn’t eliminate the civil liability of the property owner or security contractor for failing to prevent the harm in the first place.

What Counts as a Security Failure Under California Law

Courts recognize a defined set of property-level failures as breaches of the duty of care. Recognized forms of negligent security include:

Inadequate or broken lighting in parking lots, stairwells, and walkways
Broken or unsecured gates, locks, windows, and access points that allow unauthorized entry
Absent or non-functioning surveillance cameras in areas where monitoring is standard
Failure to hire trained security personnel or provide sufficient coverage for the property’s size and risk level
Failure to respond to prior complaints or reported security incidents at the property

Foreseeability of harm is the central legal concept. Courts weigh whether prior similar crimes at or near the property put the owner on notice that better security was necessary. A documented history of incidents strengthens a claim significantly. CACI No. 1005, the standard California jury instruction for these cases, directs jurors to decide whether the steps taken to protect persons like the plaintiff were adequate and reasonable under the circumstances, an analysis informed by the foreseeability of criminal activity, the property type and location, and the known risk level.

Proving a Negligent Security Case Under California Law

To establish a negligent security case, the injured party must prove four elements: the property owner owed a duty of care because the claimant was lawfully on the premises; the owner breached that duty by failing to maintain reasonable security; the breach was the proximate cause of the harm; and the claimant suffered actual damages.

Foreseeability is consistently the most contested element. In Ann M. v. Pacific Plaza Shopping Center, the California Supreme Court held that the degree of foreseeability required scales with the burden of the security measures at issue: the more onerous the precaution, the more foreseeable the harm must be to justify imposing it. Defense attorneys routinely challenge causation through motions for summary judgment, arguing the criminal act was unforeseeable. Retaining a qualified security consultant to testify about what adequate measures would have looked like is often essential to surviving those challenges. Claims can also arise when the injured person was a bystander caught in a fight rather than the primary target of an attack.

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Compensation Available to Negligent Security Victims

A negligent security claim in California can involve both economic and non-economic damages. Medical expenses (past and future), lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of consortium are all recoverable categories. Property damage losses are compensable as well. In cases where the property owner’s conduct showed conscious disregard for visitor safety, punitive damages may be available.

When a negligent security failure results in a death, surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim against the responsible parties. These claims run parallel to and independent of any criminal case against the attacker.

Why Timing Matters: The Filing Deadline & Disappearing Evidence

California’s personal injury statute of limitations gives injured parties two years from the date of injury to file a negligent security lawsuit. Missing that deadline can forfeit the right to seek compensation, regardless of how strong the underlying claim is. For incidents on government-owned property, a Notice of Claim must typically be filed with the responsible agency within six months of the injury, a significantly shorter window. Whether a shorter deadline applies to your situation is something to confirm with an attorney as soon as possible.

Surveillance footage is often deleted within 30 days of an incident. Maintenance logs, incident reports, and witness recollections can degrade quickly after that. Insurance companies and property owners often begin protecting their interests immediately after an incident occurs. Acting early gives us the opportunity to preserve evidence before it disappears and to build your case from a position of strength rather than playing catch-up.

How We Investigate a Negligent Security Case

Our approach begins with the scene itself. We work to document conditions at the property, obtain available surveillance footage before it’s overwritten, and review prior incident and maintenance records. Prior crime patterns in the surrounding area factor into the foreseeability analysis and shape how we build the claim.

Security consultants are often retained to evaluate what reasonable security measures would have looked like at the property and to explain how their absence contributed to the attack. Medical and financial professionals document the full scope of the victim’s injuries and their long-term economic impact, supporting compensation claims in both settlement negotiations and at trial. We prepare every case as though it will go before a jury, which strengthens our position at every stage. Each client works directly with Attorney Balian throughout the process, not a team of assistants managing files at a distance.

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What Sets Us Apart
The Advantages of Choosing the Law Offices of Harout Balian

24/7 Help Anytime You Need It
Our dedicated team is available around the clock to provide you with the support and guidance you need. No matter when an accident occurs, we're here to help you every step of the way.
Hablamos Español
We are proud to offer legal services in both English and Spanish. Our bilingual team ensures that you receive clear and comprehensive legal assistance in the language you are most comfortable with.
We Offer Contingency Fees
We believe that everyone deserves access to justice. That's why we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don't pay us unless we win your case. Your financial peace of mind is our priority.
Over $10 Million Recovered
Our track record speaks for itself. With over $10 million recovered for our clients, you can trust our expertise and dedication to achieving the best possible outcomes for your personal injury case.

Why Glendale Injury Victims Choose Law Offices of Harout Balian

We’ve represented thousands of personal injury clients since 1997, recovering over $10 million for people harmed by the negligence of others. Our practice covers clients throughout Glendale, the San Fernando Valley, and the Greater Los Angeles Area.

What sets us apart from larger firms:

Direct attorney access throughout your case, not hand-offs to support staff
Over 25 years of personal injury experience with a meticulous, trial-ready approach to every claim
Multilingual service in Armenian, Spanish, and English, serving the communities that make up Glendale
Contingency fee representation with no upfront costs and no fee unless we recover compensation
Wrongful death representation for families who have lost someone due to a negligent security failure

Talk to a Glendale Negligent Security Attorney Today

Evidence moves fast, and the filing window is fixed. The sooner you speak with us, the better positioned you may be to protect your claim.

We offer a free consultation by phone or in person, and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Call Law Offices of Harout Balian at (818) 938-2597 or reach us through our online contact form to get started.

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