Premises liability is the broad area of law that holds property owners, landlords, businesses, and managers responsible when their property is unsafe and someone gets hurt. Slip-and-fall is the most common type, but the category is much bigger — broken stairs, missing handrails, falling ceiling tiles, lead paint, inadequate security, fire-code violations, swimming pool drownings, and ice on unshoveled sidewalks all fall under premises liability.
Madison Law Firm PLLC · 579 5th Ave, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017
Photos, witness names, store/building incident reports, surveillance footage, work order records showing the owner knew about the problem. We move within days because cleanup crews, repair work, and overwritten cameras destroy evidence fast.
The case usually turns on whether the owner knew or should have known about the danger. We pull prior complaints, prior incident reports, inspection records, and maintenance logs. The longer the danger existed, the stronger the notice argument.
Commercial property has liability coverage, often $1M-$5M. Residential landlords have homeowner's or umbrella policies. NYC has city-managed properties (NYCHA, parks) where notice-of-claim deadlines apply. We map the policies and chase every available source.
Every case is different. The recoverable damages depend on your injuries, the insurance available, and the facts of your case.
Owners aren't automatically liable for every danger on their property. They have to have known about it — or it has to have existed long enough that they should have known. Snow on a sidewalk for 20 minutes? Probably not enough. Cracked stair complained about for 6 months? That's a case.
NYC Administrative Code shifts liability for sidewalk defects to the abutting property owner (with limited exceptions for one-to-three family residential). If you fell on a cracked or raised sidewalk, the building next to it is often on the hook.
If you were assaulted, robbed, or attacked on someone's property and they knew of prior crimes in the area, failed to maintain working locks, hire security, or provide adequate lighting, you may have a case against the property owner — even though the criminal is the one who hurt you.
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