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Apartment Crime Lawyer Memphis, TN 
An apartment crime lawyer Memphis, TN relies on at Patterson Bray can imagine how terrifying it is for crime to occur in your home. Your place of residence is supposed to be a safe haven in which you can retreat to and unwind after a long day. Unfortunately, there are individuals out there who participate in a life of crime, and break into people’s houses or apartments in hopes of stealing or committing some other violation of law. If this has happened to you or a loved one recently and damages or injuries were sustained, then we strongly advise getting legal help right away from a member of our dedicated legal team.
Being unexpectedly harmed inside an apartment or on the premises can be devastating, which is why you may want to seek legal advice from our firm. Patterson Bray has been practicing law for decades and understands the complex laws encompassing these specific cases. Guided by our knowledge and passionate drive to protect the rights of our clients, we have successfully recovered millions of dollars in damages for our clients.
Who is Responsible for Apartment Crime
Landlords have a duty to see that the property is safe for the tenants and any guests that visit. When a person signs a rental contract, that tenant understandably assumes that property security and safety measures have been established. However, if a landlord or company housing complex doesn’t install proper locks, lighting, or other safety methods, then the tenants and guests are vulnerable to experiencing crime against them.
Types of Crimes Committed
When a criminal enters a home, there are several potential motivations for such behavior. Perhaps they want to steal, harm someone they know or a stranger, kidnap, commit sexual assault, or something else. In most situations of a criminal breaking into a home, the victim ends up suffering from some degree to physical injury, mental trauma, and financial loss.
If this crime occurs due to a landlord’s failure to maintain sufficient security, the victim may be eligible to pursue compensation with help from a TN apartment crime lawyer in Memphis. A member of our legal team can meet with you to review your case, and offer advice on how to proceed. By taking action, you can hold the landlord or complex responsible for their oversights, while ensuring that a situation like that hopefully won’t happen in the future to other tenants.
Common Injuries for Apartment Crime
We understand that victims of apartment or other home crime may have survived with very painful and lasting injuries. The victim may have cuts, scrapes, broken bones, bruising, STDs, internal bleeding, anxiety, sleeplessness, and other emotional wounds due to the trauma.
We advise seeing a doctor the same day that the break-in occurred, so that you can document your injuries. Ask for copies of test results, diagnostics, medication, and treatment plans to share with a member of our legal team. This can help us calculate how much to sue your landlord or the building company for as you seek justice and restitution for the damage done.
What Constitutes As an Apartment Crime
Apartment complexes may have hundreds, or even thousands, of residents. Many of these residents live on the premises for a short time, which leads to a frequent coming and going of tenants. Crime may be an element of these complexes. Often, as an attempt to protect the reputation of the apartment complex, the number of incidents and types of criminal acs are hidden from residents. Examples of common crimes include:
- Automobile break ins
- Burglaries or robberies (including armed)
- Petty theft of plants, lawn mowers, bikes, and other miscellaneous items
- Violent crimes (i.e. assault, rape, and murder)
One of the aforementioned acts, coupled with a lack of security, could be grounds for a legal claim. To find out more, please speak with an apartment crime lawyer in Memphis for sound advice.
Understanding Apartment Crimes and Negligent Security
Apartment crimes can happen at any time and may include all sorts of malicious or violent behavior. Often, these crimes fall into negligent security litigation (with premises liability litigation following suit). Because this area of expertise in considerably intricate, it’s advisable to retain help from our team, who knows how to effectively navigate it.
Criminal assault, robbery, rape, and attacks can be the result of inadequate security on the apartment premises. When such incidents happen, it may be possible to bring legal action against the owner, manager, and/or occupier of the apartment and its premises. This may be especially true when there is an obvious failure to provide reasonable security measures in areas that are known to be criminally active.
Even if you’re unsure about filing a claim, you can speak with us during a complimentary consultation. You will have the opportunity to discuss your claim in further detail and discover what the next steps are to be taken.
Potential Monetary Compensation
If an apartment crime lawyer in TN at Patterson Bray believes you have a claim, an investigation may begin. This will help to establish a sound legal defense on behalf of you and your loved ones. Included in the claim may be a numerical value to act as monetary compensation for losses such as:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Damaged property
- Emotional and physical suffering
- Wrongful death
- Punitive damages *when applicable
Recovering Your Losses
Apartment crime is on the rise and when local law enforcement efforts fall short, victims may have more success in recovering their losses by hiring a lawyer. Patterson Bray represents residents in the Tennessee area who have suffered significant losses due to crime and negligence of apartment dwelling management companies and owners. To discuss your case with a member of our team, contact us today.
Criminal Activity in Apartment Complexes
Apartment complexes can be a magnet for criminals because they offer a number of victims within a small area, making it faster and more efficient for them to steal large quantities of possessions. These criminals are often violent, and when confronted, victims may be at high risk for serious or fatal physical assaults. Our Memphis, TN apartment crime lawyer is familiar with all of these scenarios. In fact, common criminal activity in apartment complexes includes all of the following:
- Robbery or burglary. This can occur even when occupants of an apartment are home. Their possessions may be stolen from them in their presence at gunpoint, or while they and their children are asleep.
- Rape. This can occur before or after stealing from the occupants, and victims of this heinous crime are not limited to adult women.
- Homicide. If a criminal is confronted and feels threatened, they may kill the victims. However, they may kill the victims regardless.
- Drug possession, use, purchase, and distribution. Drug addiction goes hand in hand with theft. A common downward spiral begins when a person develops an addiction for drugs then cannot keep their job owing to their addictive behavior, they lose their job, they then turn to stealing in order to pay for drugs.
Who Can Be Held Liable
Because the thief likely has no money, which is why they are stealing, victims usually have an impossible challenge in recovering their damages from them. Even if the thief has a job and their wages are garnished, it can take many years before the victim recovers their losses. However, our team can pursue damage recovery from those responsible for making sure that an apartment complex is safe.
A damage claim can be filed against the apartment complex owner and/or the management company for a resident’s losses for any of the following reasons:
- Not notifying residents of current issues with theft.
- Not notifying potential new residents of current issues with theft before they decide to rent an apartment.
- Not providing reasonable crime deterrents such as security cameras and signage.
- Not installing sufficient lighting in garages, carports, walkways, common areas, or parking lots as a crime deterrent and to make it more difficult for thieves to steal undetected.
- Not sufficiently screening potential new residents and allowing crime activity to openly take place in and around the apartment complex.
Contact Us For a Free Consultation
As a victim of an apartment crime, you can take action. You may be feeling helpless and that your home is no longer safe. If your landlord or facility is at least partially responsible, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
At Patterson Bray our apartment crime lawyers can aggressively and intelligently represent you and your loved ones. Most of our cases are taken on a contingency fee basis, which means you will not have to worry about any upfront fees. To speak with an apartment crime lawyer in Memphis, Tennessee please call 901.372.5003