When property owners fail to keep their event facilities safe, a Chicago negligent security lawyer can help you get justice. The skilled attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have over 100 years of combined legal experience in litigating negligent security cases, including shootings, robberies, assaults, and other criminal acts. Contact us today for compassionate, aggressive representation.
$7,500,000: Lana was shot to death by an intruder at her Gold Coast apartment complex. We sued on behalf of her family after proving that security personnel did not monitor security systems despite rising crime rates.
$6,350,000: Robin was sexually assaulted in a Wrigleyville parking garage after a Cubs game, causing severe trauma. We pursued negligent security claims based on the property owner’s failure to implement adequate security measures, such as proper lighting and surveillance cameras, even though another woman had been attacked just the year before.
$6,000,000: Kendra and Mikayla were seriously injured at a Lincoln Park nightclub when a shooter attacked on a busy Sunday night. We demonstrated that the nightclub had failed to provide adequate security measures, such as surveillance cameras and bouncers.
We are the top-rated negligent security attorneys in Chicago, having secured over $450 million in settlements and verdicts for over 5,000 clients. As members of the American Association for Justice, we are passionate about protecting victims and holding property owners liable for their reckless behavior. You can rely on us to protect your privacy, push for maximum compensation, and help you heal from traumatic events.
Negligent security cases often arise from criminal acts, but these are civil liability cases, not criminal suits. Rather than prosecuting perpetrators, we seek damages based on a property owner’s negligence. Common types of negligent security claims we handle include:
Property owners are required to provide adequate security measures that will protect visitors, staff, and other guests. Several key factors of security concerns include the following.
Poor Lighting: The University of Chicago Crime Lab found that lighting is crucial to visitor safety. When adequate lighting is provided, criminal acts are reduced. Low lighting in Austin alleyways or Englewood streets can lead to higher danger.
Broken Locks and Gates: Washington Park is one of the most dangerous areas of Chicago, but negligent property owners may fail to fix broken locks that could lead to break-ins.
Lack of Security Cameras: Having a surveillance system can reduce crime rates by 50%, but many property owners fail to install or maintain these systems. They may also not provide adequate security personnel to monitor cameras. This is especially common in areas like North Lawndale, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the city.
Security Lapses due to Untrained Staff: Having proper security measures like cameras and locks will not be enough if staff are not trained to prevent or respond to security breaches. For example, security staff in Roseland apartment complexes should refuse to give tenant information out to strangers, but may be talked into providing this information.
Understaffed Premises: Inadequate staffing is a common factor in poor security systems. For example, a property owner can be held liable if they knew of prior criminal activity near their Greater Grand Crossing store but refused to hire more staff.
Negligent security claims often involve serious injuries. In some cases, a victim’s injuries may result in permanent disability or even death. Common injuries we see in these cases include:
When property owners fail to provide adequate safety measures, they may be liable for both economic and non-economic damages. We will fight to ensure that your settlement includes all your damages, including the following.
Common medical expenses you may claim compensation for include:
The property owner can be liable for all your lost wages. Additionally, they may be forced to pay for future loss of income if your injuries or psychological trauma prevent you from returning to work.
Your physical pain and suffering should also be accounted for. This can include loss of normal life, emotional trauma, and loss of companionship in wrongful death cases.
The average payout for negligent security claims is $20,745,331. Payouts range from $27,500 to $535,000,000. Factors that determine your payment include injury severity and permanency, foreseeability of the criminal acts, liability, and property types.
A 54-year-old woman was attacked and sexually assaulted by an assailant in her fourth-story apartment, located in the 1200 block of North Stone Street in Chicago. The 28-year-old perpetrator was later found and charged. The victim’s injuries included psychological distress, PTSD, anxiety, and insomnia. She sued the building owner and was awarded $10,825,000.00 by a jury.
Karla Gress, a late-forties medical transcription software trainer, was assaulted by a security guard while staying at the Holiday Inn Chicago Northshore-Skokie. The air conditioner was broken, and the hotel staff sent the security personnel up alone into her room. She reported the assault within 24 hours, but the hotel continued to keep the guard on staff for a year after the attack. It was proven that he had access to camera footage, security logs, and room key cards. Gress suffered from permanent trauma after the assault. A jury awarded her $1,800,000.00.
Negligent security cases can quickly become challenging. Because violent acts are not always predictable, it must be proven that the property owner did not take reasonable precautions to prevent harm to invitees based on the information available to them, called foreseeability.
Demonstrating foreseeability requires carefully reviewing local crime statistics, analyzing police reports and security footage, and gathering expert testimony from security professionals. Multiple parties are often liable for the negligent security, such as property owners, third-party security personnel, and property management companies, making liability more challenging to discern.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers has 25 years of experience in litigating these complicated cases, ensuring that victims are treated fairly by the legal system and that property owners are held accountable for failing to uphold their legal obligations to victims.
Chicago is a dangerous city; Neighborhood Scout notes that it has a violent crime score of 5, meaning it is only safer than 5% of all US cities. Its property damage rate is 34.01 incidents per 1,000 residents, while the violent crime rate is 5.99 incidents per 1,000 residents.
However, not every area in the city is equally dangerous. These are some of the areas where negligent security cases occur with the greatest frequency:
Premises liability is the legal framework that determines whether a property owner can be held liable for inadequate security measures. The Illinois Premises Liability Act requires property owners to take reasonable precautions that will protect visitors, staff, and others (740 ILCS 130/). The Chicago Municipal Code also notes that landlords and apartment owners have a duty to maintain their properties in a safe, habitable condition (5-12-070).
Though the Illinois Supreme Court case Cope v. Doe clarified that property owners cannot be held accountable for open and obvious hazards, they still have an obligation to address security concerns, which can include appropriate background checks for security guards and preventing security breaches. This is called foreseeability, meaning that the property owner could reasonably predict that there would be an issue based on crime rates or personnel infractions prior to the incident.
The case mentioned above involving Karla Gress went to the Illinois Appellate Court. After deliberation, the court determined in Gress v. Lakhani Hospitality, Inc that the attack was reasonably foreseeable due to the hotel being in a high-crime area and the assailant’s history of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Under the Joint Tortfeasor Contribution Act, it is possible to hold more than one party liable for negligent security (740 ILCS 100/). Each party will be assigned a portion of blame using modified comparative negligence (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). If you are less than 50% liable, you can sue, but you will receive less in damages.
Illinois has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury (735 ILCS 5/13-202) and wrongful death (740 ILCS 180/2). The statute of limitations may be paused for victims under the age of 18 or in cases where the victim’s injuries were not immediately connected to the incident, called delayed discovery.
As these cases often involve months of negotiation, contact us immediately so that we can begin our investigation and ensure we meet all applicable deadlines.
The skilled team at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers will thoroughly review your claim to identify all liable individuals or organizations, ensuring you have the best chance at fair compensation. Potentially liable parties can include:
Insurance companies will work to diminish their liability and prevent you from claiming damages through a variety of defenses. Our attorneys are highly skilled at countering these arguments, which can include the following.
Comparative Negligence: The insurer will argue that you were primarily liable for the incident. In cases of sexual assault, they may even argue that you chose to engage in the sexual activity. Witness statements, medical records, expert testimony from psychologists, and security logs can prove otherwise.
Unforeseeable Acts: Property owners can only be held liable if their failure to foresee a risk of harm contributed to the incident. As such, they will claim that the issue was unforeseeable and that they had adequately mitigated risk. Police reports, crime statistics, employment records, and previous complaints similar to yours can refute this argument.
Assumption of Risk: This argument claims that you were aware that you may have been in danger, but chose to engage in the activity anyway. For example, if you were attacked in an alleyway with insufficient lighting, they could claim that you knew there was a danger of being attacked by walking in an area with low lighting. We will consult with security experts who can demonstrate that the risk was unacceptably high due to inadequate security.
It is crucial to act quickly after a security incident, as this will strengthen your claim and preserve vital evidence. Follow these steps as soon as possible.
Go to the closest emergency room for an examination and preserve your medical records. If you were sexually assaulted, request a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam to secure forensic evidence of the attack.
File a police report with the Chicago Police Department and request a copy for your records.
Document the scene of the attack, focusing on any inadequate security measures that may be in place. For example, take pictures of broken locks, burned-out or absent light bulbs, or key cards. Preserve what you were wearing at the time of the incident.
Gather witness statements from anyone who may have been present at the time.
Do not speak to insurers, company representatives, or other third parties without first consulting with an attorney. Do not post on social media about the incident or speak to third parties about what occurred.
Contact a negligent security attorney as soon as possible for a free case review.
Our attorneys understand how traumatizing these events can be, so we work to minimize the inconvenience while building a strong case. We will consult with experts on security standards and thoroughly investigate the incident, including reviewing police records and analyzing crime statistics from the nearby area.
These investigations often require specialized, local knowledge, as every neighborhood in Chicago poses unique dangers. Having served Chicago for over 25 years, we have a variety of resources available to demonstrate the foreseeable hazards in a particular area.
We will interview witnesses who were present, as well as others in the area who can attest to a history of security breaches. If there were prior complaints from other guests or staff, we can use this to strengthen our arguments further. Our team will also review case law to identify similar cases to yours, which will assist in evaluating damages and pushing for the highest possible compensation.
We negotiate aggressively with insurance agencies and prepare every case as if it will go to trial, ensuring you have the best chance of success. If necessary, we will pursue a lawsuit at the Circuit Court of Cook County and present key evidence that will persuade the jury.
Our goal is not just to secure compensation, but also to help you heal from a traumatic event. We can direct you to the following resources for further support:
Chicago Police Department CLEARmap
Chicago Police Department Victim Services
Chicago Department of Public Health Victim Services
Statewide Victim Assistance Program
Illinois Department of Corrections Victim Services
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis: no fee unless we win.
The victim can file a negligent security claim. In cases of wrongful death, the next of kin can file a claim. This could include surviving spouses, children, parents, or other relatives.
Yes, low lighting is considered an inadequate security measure. Research has demonstrated that when adequate street lighting is installed, robberies and other property crimes are reduced. However, the relationship between lighting and violent crime is not as strongly demonstrated.
The type of lighting also matters. Downward-directed lights, which preserve dark skies but still provide illumination at the street level, provide the most balance between safety and environmental protection.
To prove liability, you must satisfy the four factors that constitute negligence: duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages. These can be explained as follows.
Duty of Care: The property owner was legally obligated to take reasonable precautions to prevent danger to invitees. This could include having security staff, installing lights and surveillance measures, repairing broken locks, and implementing access control.
Breach of Duty: The property owner failed to take these precautions. This could be things like not training staff on how to re-key entry cards at a hotel, not using outdoor lighting systems, or understaffing a property in a high-crime area.
Causation: The breach of duty directly led to the security incident and subsequent injuries.
Damages: You suffered financial, physical, or emotional losses as a result of this negligence. For example, you may have physical pain, trauma, anxiety, lost wages, medical expenses, or property damage.
Our attorneys will prove these four factors using evidence like security logs, surveillance footage, witness testimony, and expert testimony.
Negligent security cases require expert legal representation, as they often involve multiple liable parties and complicated evidence. Our award-winning attorneys are passionate advocates for victims throughout Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe us nothing unless we secure compensation for you.
Schedule a free consultation with our compassionate personal injury attorneys in Chicago to explore your legal options and begin your journey to justice.
Our downtown office, near the Richard J. Daley Center, Dirkson United States Courthouse, and the Chicago Workers’ Compensation Commission, offers convenient access from Aurora, Joliet, and Waukegan via I-90, I-94, and I-290.
225 W Wacker Dr #1660
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (847) 835-8895
Toll Free: (888) 424-5757
We also serve clients from Buffalo Grove, Decatur, Naperville, Rockford and throughout Illinois.
Resources: [1] Crain’s Chicago Business,
All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.