Negligent Security Lawyers in Augusta, GA

Negligent Security Lawyers in Augusta, Georgia

When a property owner fails to provide reasonable security and someone is assaulted, robbed, or killed as a result, Georgia law holds that owner accountable. These cases are called negligent security claims, and they are among the most misunderstood in personal injury practice because the harm is caused by a criminal, not by the property owner.

Lamar Law Office, LLC — Atlanta LegalCare handles negligent security and premises liability claims throughout Augusta, Richmond County, and the surrounding CSRA. We represent victims of apartment complex assaults, hotel and motel attacks, bar and nightclub violence, gas station and convenience store robberies, and parking deck and garage attacks.

Why the property owner is liable for a crime

Georgia does not require a property owner to guarantee your safety. It does require the owner to exercise ordinary care to keep the premises safe, and that duty extends to foreseeable criminal activity. The legal test comes from Georgia’s premises liability framework and the foreseeability standard applied to third-party criminal acts. If the owner knew or should have known that criminal activity was likely at that location and did nothing, the owner can be liable for the resulting harm.

Foreseeability is usually proven with the property’s own history. That evidence exists, and it is obtainable:

• Prior incident reports. Police calls to the address, including the 911 CAD logs and incident reports, going back years.
• Crime mapping data. Reported crime in a defined radius around the property.
• Security audits and inspections. Reports from the owner, management company, or insurer identifying the exact risk that later materialized.
• Maintenance and work order records. Broken gates, non-functioning lights, and dead cameras documented in the property’s own system.
• Industry standards. What comparable properties in the same market did for lighting, access control, staffing, and camera coverage.

Common failures we investigate

• Non-functioning or removed security cameras, or cameras that were never monitored or recorded
• Broken access control: gates propped open, key fobs not deactivated, unit doors that do not latch
• Burned-out or removed exterior lighting in walkways, stairwells, and parking areas
• Absent or untrained security personnel, or security staff with no authority to act
• Failure to screen, warn, or remove a known dangerous tenant or invitee
• Failure to warn of a known pattern of robberies or assaults at the location
• Understaffing at a hotel, bar, or club during known high-risk hours

What these cases are worth

Recoverable damages in a Georgia negligent security case include past and future medical care, psychiatric and psychological treatment for trauma, lost earnings and loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, and, where the conduct rises to the level of conscious indifference to the consequences, punitive damages under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1. Where the victim died, the family may pursue a wrongful death claim under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2.

Two practical rules shape these cases. Georgia’s general two-year statute of limitations under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 applies, but claims against a governmental entity — a public housing authority, a city-owned venue, or a transit system — require an ante litem notice within six months under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5. Evidence also disappears fast: surveillance video is typically overwritten in thirty days or less, so early preservation letters matter.

Read more about our Georgia negligent security practice, our Augusta personal injury practice, our wrongful death attorneys, and our premises liability lawyers.

Frequently asked questions

Does the criminal have to be convicted first? No. A negligent security claim is a civil claim against the property owner and does not depend on a criminal conviction. A criminal case can proceed at the same time, and we coordinate with prosecutors while protecting your civil claim.

What if the property owner claims they had no idea crime was a problem? That claim is testable. We obtain police call logs, incident reports, and crime data for the address and compare them to what the owner’s own security audits and insurance inspections said. In most of these cases, the owner knew more than they admit.

How soon should I contact an attorney? Immediately. Video is overwritten, gates get repaired, cameras get replaced, and staff move on. The most valuable evidence in a negligent security case is the evidence that still exists in the first weeks.

Speak with an Augusta negligent security attorney

Lamar Law Office, LLC — Atlanta LegalCare. 4500 Hugh Howell Road, Suite 140, Tucker, GA 30084. Call 1-877-227-3404 for a free consultation. More than legal service. We care.