Los Angeles Premises Liability Lawyer
If you or someone you care about was injured on someone else’s property in Los Angeles, you may be feeling a wave of stress, fear, and confusion. You’re dealing with pain, medical bills, time away from work, and the overwhelming question of what happens next.
We understand what you’re going through, and we’re here to help. A trusted Los Angeles premises liability lawyer with Best Law can take charge of every part of your claim, from calculating your damages, investigating your accident, negotiating with insurance companies, and pursuing the highest amount of compensation possible for your recovery.
When property owners fail to maintain safe conditions, innocent people suffer. These accidents can happen anywhere—at grocery stores in Mid-Wilshire, parking garages in Koreatown, or apartment buildings in Hollywood. If a negligent property owner caused your injury, we’re ready to hold them accountable.
Why Choose Best Law for Your Premises Liability Case?
You have options when it comes to legal representation in Los Angeles. But few firms offer the personal care, extensive experience, and proven results that Best Law does. Here’s why clients choose us:
- Personal connection. We take the time to get to know you and what this injury has done to your life.
- Proven results. We’ve recovered millions for clients in Los Angeles County and know how to build strong, persuasive cases.
- Insurance insight. Our founding attorney, Elissa Best, worked for the other side. She knows how insurers think—and how to beat them.
- No upfront costs. We work on a contingency fee basis, so we only get paid if you do.
When your future is on the line, you deserve a team that’s aggressive where it counts and compassionate where it matters. We don’t just bring legal strength—we bring heart.
Our Commitment to You
Key Takeaways
- Property owners in Los Angeles are legally responsible for maintaining safe conditions on their premises.
- Premises liability cases include slip and fall accidents, dog bites, negligent security, and unsafe structures.
- California law allows injured victims to recover compensation even when they are partially at fault.
- Damages can include medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
- Insurance companies often offer low settlements and use pressure tactics against victims.
- Best Law fights back with experience, skill, and a personal, compassionate commitment to every client.
What You Should Know About Premises Liability Law
Premises liability law in California is grounded in a simple idea: property owners must keep their premises reasonably safe. If they don’t, and someone gets hurt because of it, they can be held responsible. Whether you’re injured by slipping on a wet floor in a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard or falling due to broken stairs in a downtown apartment complex, the law may be on your side.
In legal terms, premises liability covers injuries that occur on another person’s property due to hazardous or unsafe conditions. These cases can involve both private and commercial properties, ranging from homes and office buildings to retail stores and entertainment venues. The location doesn’t matter as much as the cause: the key is whether the property owner knew or should have known about the danger and failed to fix it or provide a warning.
California law doesn’t automatically hold a property owner liable for injuries. Your Los Angeles premises liability attorney must show that negligence occurred. And that’s where experience becomes so important, not just in terms of legal knowledge, but a deep familiarity with the pulse of L.A. and its civil court system as well.
While no two premises liability cases are identical, all of them place the burden of proof on the injured. Meanwhile, medical bills stack up. Income stops. The emotional toll can be immense. At Best Law, we work to make sure you’re not carrying that burden alone.
Types of Premises Liability Cases We Handle
Premises liability accidents can happen in countless ways, but here are the most common types we see in the Los Angeles area:
Slip and fall accidents are among the most frequent causes of injury on private and public property. A slick floor in a Beverly Hills café or an uneven sidewalk in Echo Park can easily result in a serious fall and lasting injury.
Unlike slips, these accidents often involve obstacles, like exposed cords, broken pavement, or debris. Victims can suffer fractures, head trauma, and other severe consequences.
When pet owners fail to control their animals, it puts everyone around them at risk. These attacks can be especially traumatic for children and may involve permanent scarring or emotional harm.
Property owners are responsible for providing adequate security, especially in areas known for high crime. A lack of lighting, broken gates, or missing surveillance can lead to assaults, robberies, or worse.
Poor maintenance can result in structural hazards, such as falling ceilings, collapsing decks, or electrical risks. These cases often involve apartments, commercial buildings, or construction sites.
Drownings or near-drownings are tragically common, especially when safety gates or warning signs are missing. These accidents often involve children and occur in both public and private pools.
How Does Your Reason for Occupying a Property Affect Your Claim?
Not every person who steps onto someone else’s property is treated the same under California premises liability law. The duty a property owner owes you can depend on the reason you were there. Here’s a breakdown of the categories courts use and what level of care is legally required.
Invitees
Invitees are individuals who are invited onto the property for a business purpose, such as customers in a store or clients in an office. Property owners owe invitees the highest duty of care. They must regularly inspect their premises for hazards and address them promptly.
Licensees
Licensees are people who enter the property with permission but not for business reasons, such as social guests. While owners must still provide a reasonably safe environment and warn of known dangers, they aren’t required to inspect the property for hidden hazards.
Trespassers
Trespassers enter without permission. In most cases, property owners owe them only a limited duty: not to willfully harm them. However, if a property owner knows that trespassers frequently enter the area, they may be obligated to address dangerous conditions that could cause serious injury.
What about children?
California law recognizes that children may not fully understand risks. However, unlike most states, it does not have an “attractive nuisance” doctrine that addresses premises liability accidents for children, who may wander onto a private property and become injured.
Instead, California law imposes a broader duty of care on property owners under its premises liability laws, which may hold them liable for injuries to both children and adults caused by hazardous property conditions. This duty is not limited to attractive conditions, but rather extends to any condition that poses an unreasonable risk of harm to visitors.
What Damages Can I Claim in My Premises Liability Case?
When you’re injured due to someone else’s carelessness, the losses go far beyond your initial medical bill. In a premises liability case, you may be able to seek both economic and non-economic damages, including:
- Medical expenses – hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, medications
- Future medical care – ongoing therapy or treatments related to your injury
- Lost wages – income lost due to time away from work
- Loss of earning capacity – if your injury prevents you from returning to your previous job
- Pain and suffering – the physical and emotional toll of the injury
- Emotional distress – including anxiety, PTSD, or loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement or permanent disability – when injuries lead to lifelong changes
Some of the most significant damages aren’t tied to a dollar amount on a receipt. Chronic pain, emotional trauma, and reduced mobility are very real, and they deserve fair compensation. At Best Law, we work to tell your story in full and show how the injury has changed your life.
How Much Compensation Can I Receive?
Every premises liability case is different. There’s no fixed chart or calculator because your claim depends on the details, especially the severity of your injuries and how they’ve affected your life. A concussion from a fall at a Santa Monica apartment complex won’t carry the same weight as a spinal injury from a stair collapse in South LA.
Key factors that influence the value of your claim include:
- The extent of your injuries and whether they are permanent or require ongoing care
- Your total medical expenses, both past and future
- Lost income and whether you can return to work
- How much you were at fault, if at all
- Insurance policy limits of the property owner
Juries in Los Angeles County are often sympathetic to injury victims, especially when negligence is clear. Still, insurance companies will do everything they can to minimize payouts. That’s why having an attorney with courtroom experience and a strong track record is important. We don’t just prepare your case for settlement, we prepare it to win, if going to trial is necessary.
Steps to Take After a Premises Liability Accident
Receiving medical care for your injuries is the essential first step, both for your health and your legal case. If you haven’t yet seen a doctor, do so right away. Not all injuries show up immediately, and delaying treatment can hurt your recovery and your ability to pursue compensation.
Once you’ve addressed your immediate medical needs, there are other steps you should take to protect your legal rights and strengthen your claim.
- Hire a lawyer. Before you speak with insurance adjusters or property owners, consult a premises liability attorney. Early legal guidance can prevent costly mistakes and ensure your rights are protected from day one.
- Keep all medical appointments and follow your treatment plan. Skipping visits or ignoring medical advice can give insurers a reason to downplay your injuries. A consistent treatment record supports your claim.
- Journal your experience. Use a notebook or your phone to record pain levels, mobility issues, emotional effects, and how the injury impacts your daily life. This kind of documentation can be powerful evidence in your case.
- Report the incident. Notify the property owner or manager and request a written copy of the report. This creates a record that the accident happened.
- Preserve evidence. Save the clothes and shoes you were wearing. Don’t wash or discard anything that might show signs of the incident.
- Stay off social media. Insurance companies will look for posts that suggest your injuries aren’t serious. Even a smiling photo can be twisted against you.
Taking these steps shows that you’re serious about your recovery and your rights. At Best Law, we begin investigating immediately to preserve evidence and build the strongest case possible.
What Should I Do if an Insurance Company Calls Me?
Don’t take the call. Or if you do, keep it short and say you’re in the process of hiring a lawyer. Insurance adjusters are trained to sound friendly while fishing for information that can hurt your claim. They may offer a quick settlement, hoping you’ll accept before realizing the true cost of your injuries.
These companies know you’re in a vulnerable spot. They may use pressure tactics and delays. Sometimes they even suggest you don’t need a lawyer. But once you sign a release, your right to further compensation is gone, no matter what expenses arise later.
Let us handle the talking. At Best Law, we know their playbook, and we don’t let them muscle our clients into bad deals. Our job is to protect your rights, and that starts by leveling the playing field and taking control of the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Los Angeles Premises Liability Cases
In most cases, California’s statute of limitations allows two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. But exceptions can apply, especially if the injury involved a government entity. Don’t wait because timing matters.
Yes. Under California’s pure comparative negligence rule, you can still recover compensation, even if you were partially to blame. Your award will be reduced by your percentage of fault. If you think you might share some blame, don’t assume you have no case. Let us evaluate the details. The law still allows for recovery, and we’re here to maximize what you’re entitled to.
That’s a common defense. But if we can show they should have known—say, a broken step that had existed for weeks—they can still be held liable. Regular inspections are part of their legal duty.
At Best Law, we work on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing unless we win your case. No retainers, no hourly rates—just results.
Claims against government entities have different rules and strict filing deadlines, sometimes as little as six months. These cases are more complex but still possible with the right legal help.
Consult a Los Angeles Premises Liability Lawyer with Best Law
If you’ve been hurt because someone else didn’t take care of their property or warn about known hazards, you shouldn’t have to carry the cost. Best Law will fight relentlessly for your full and fair compensation so that you can start moving forward. We don’t let big insurers take advantage of our clients with unfair settlements.
Reach out personal injury attorney in Los Angeles, CA for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll listen to your story, explain your options, and give you honest, straightforward advice.
Call us at (424) 260-4649 or contact us online. We’re here to help you take the next step with confidence.
