Minnesota Premises Liability Attorney

All premises liability cases involve an unsafe condition on someone’s property. A property owner is held to the standard of exercising reasonable care in the ownership and maintenance of their property. If a property owner fails to meet this standard and you are injured as a result of their negligent behavior, you might have grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit.

If you think you have a case, reach out to a Minnesota premises liability lawyer on our team by calling (612) 333-4662.

Our premises liability lawyers in minnesota are ready to help

With over 38 years of experience in the world of premises liability, Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC should be your first call if you suffer an injury on someone else’s property. Our team of experienced Minnesota injury attorneys get you the results that you deserve.

What is Premises Liability?

A case can be classified as premises liability if a property owner fails to exercise a standard of care legally owed to the injured person on their property.

Duty of Care & Causation

The issue of liability often revolves around the concepts of a “duty of care” and “foreseeability.” Since businesses and retailers expect patrons on their premises, they have a duty to ensure people aren’t exposed to hazards and dangers. Additionally, when construction is necessary or when the threat of crime is a possibility, property owners should foresee potential dangers and take action to either minimize or eradicate them.

In addition to proving liability, causation must also be proven in a premises liability claim. When proving causation, it must be shown that the defendant’s negligence was at least a substantial contributing cause of your injuries. The facts of a case play a major role in determining causation. An immediate investigation is often critical in documenting the facts that led to the incident. When we are hired, we immediately commence an investigation to secure the facts and evidence necessary to succeed with the case.

Relationships to the Property Owner

The extent in which a property owner is liable for injury occurring on their land differs depending on the property owner’s relationship to the injured person.

• Invitee: Someone a property owner invites, either directly or implicitly, on to their property (ex: a contractor).
• Licensee: This is someone invited on to the property, but where no legal contract exists between the two parties (ex: a social guest).
• Trespasser: The property owner has a different level of liability to the trespasser depending on if they are aware the individual is on their property or not. If known, the property owner must attempt to remove any foreseeable hazards.

True Story

“Bill” was an employee at a maintenance company. One day, he received a call about a water leak in the second story of an old, unoccupied barn. He spoke to the barn owner who told him of the problem and said to go to the second floor to fix the leak. In the conversation, the owner failed to tell Bill that the floor only covered half the upper level.

Despite turning on a light, most of the second floor was dark. Bill could hear the leak, and as he stepped forward, the floor abruptly ended. He fell more than 25 feet to the floor below, fracturing his back and sustaining a brain injury.

Despite these facts, the barn owner’s insurance company denied liability. Bill retained Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC, and we investigated the situation and initiated a lawsuit. We were able to prove the barn owner failed to warn of hidden dangers on the property and obtained a significant settlement for Bill.

Contact us today for a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions