FAQ

Premises liability refers to the legal responsibility of property owners to maintain safe conditions on their property. If you are injured on someone else’s property due to unsafe conditions, such as a slip and fall, inadequate security, or defective equipment, you may have a premises liability case.

Property owners are responsible for maintaining their property in a safe condition, which includes keeping it free of dangerous or hazardous conditions that can cause injury. Unfortunately, many unsafe or hazardous conditions may result in slip-and-fall accidents.

For example, an employee may fail to report an unsafe condition, such as a slippery patch of floor or a broken step, which could lead to a slip and fall accident. Other examples include:

Failure to maintain the premises in good working order

• Inadequate lighting

• Improper cleaning of floors or surfaces

• Dirty floors or surfaces on which someone could slip, trip, or fall

• Lack of handrails or other means for people with disabilities to maneuver safely on stairs or ramps

A typical premises liability case pursues compensation from the property owner and property management company managing the property. If someone had control over a property and knew of a dangerous condition, they could be responsible for the harms caused.

A hotel might be liable if you slip or trip and fall on a hotel premises. For example, if you slip on spilled food or drink in a hotel bar or restaurant, snow and ice that hasn't been cleared from a walkway, or on wet tile floors or other slick surfaces, the hotel might be liable.

In New Mexico, the statute of limitations for bodily injury claims is generally 3 years from the date of the accident. However, certain circumstances may affect this timeline, so it’s important to consult a lawyer promptly.

Property owners, landlords, and businesses have a duty of care to keep people on their property safe. If safety and security aren’t present (or good enough), assaults and injuries can happen. The owner or business on the property might be liable for the victim’s damages.

Yes, you may be able to sue if you were injured in a rental property due to the landlord’s negligence. Landlords have a duty to maintain safe conditions in common areas and ensure that rental units are habitable and free from hazards. If your injury was caused by the landlord’s failure to address known dangers, such as broken stairs, defective wiring, or inadequate security, you may have grounds for a premises liability claim. In some cases, you may be able to sue the landlord for injuries caused by another tenant.

One of the most important things to do immediately after a slip-and-fall accident is to photograph the scene and the property’s condition. This evidence is significant because it documents the conditions of the ground you were walking on when you slipped and fell caused you to fall.

It depends on what the property owner knew. Were appropriate safety measures, like lighting, locks and cameras, in place. You will need to prove that the landowner was on notice that an unsafe condition existed and yet did nothing. Was there is a history of assaults in the complex? Was the assaulter a fellow tenant with a history of violence who was previously reported to the landlord?