The Duties of Shopping Malls to Guests

Owners of Shopping malls owe a responsibility or a duty to their guests to maintain their malls and keep the premises safe for all of their customers. This duty extends to  all customers or employees who may be at the mall. It does not matter if you buy anything from any of the shops or if you are just window shopping, you are still owed the duty. Shopping mall owners are expected to keep entrances and exits clear from any unreasonable dangers.  They must also repair any hazards that exists on their property. If the Shopping mall owner fails to maintain their property in a safe condition, they may be liable for damages as a result of  injuries caused by their failure to maintain their premises. There are various ways a shopping owner mall can breach this duty of maintaining the premises in a safe condition. Some examples include neglecting to repair leaking rooftops and permitting water on the floors to become a slip hazard, failing to replace cracked tiles,  failing to repair broken escalators, or allowing broken tiles to become a trip hazard.

What is a Shopping Mall?

Most people think of a “Shopping Mall” as a large indoor shopping facility with anchor stores,  small shops and a food court like the Galleria Mall, The Fashion Show Mall, The Meadows Mall or the Summerlin Mall here in Clark County. However, for purposes of this article and for civil liability for injuries, a shopping mall aka Mall  is a general term for a large indoor or outdoor shopping center. Therefore, this article is applicable to shopping centers like Towne Square, The District and all shopping locations where multiple stores or shops are located in one area. The term “mall”  refers to a “pedestrian promenade with shops along  the walkways.

Is the Mall or the Store liable for my Injury?

The location where you are injured in the mall will determine who is liable for your injuries. The mall owners are not responsible for each and every injury that happens inside the mall. Sometimes the independent store owners may be held responsible if the hazardous condition or cause of the injury occurred inside an independent store. If your injury occurs inside one of the shops in the mall, that store owner is the entity or person that will be liable for your damages most of the time. However, of course, nothing in law is ever quit that simple. For example, if it was a leaking roof that caused a wet surface that caused you to fall inside a store, it can be the mall owners who are liable for creating the hazardous condition and the store responsibility for failing to clean up the area or warn customers of the hazard.

As a general matter, the mall owners are responsible for maintaining  common areas including the entrances and exits, common walking areas in the mall, and parking lots. If your injury occurs in one of those areas, the mall owner is most likely responsible for the injuries you sustain. If you are inside a store when you sustain injury, it may be only the store owner who is liable. It is important to point out here the importance of collecting the proper evidence at the scene of the accident at the time it happens to determine who is liable for your injury. If you are injured in a shopping mall, take photographs of the hazard that caused your injury, and  be sure to take the following steps while you are at the scene:

1. Take Photographs of the entire scene near and around where the injury occurred;
2. Request any and all surveillance footage from the manager, and if you give a written statement, be sure to put this request in that statement;
3. Obtain all eyewitness contact information yourself, do not rely on the store to obtain this information;
4. Make a report to the manager at the scene and request a copy of the accident report while you are at the scene.

In addition to the information you collect at the scene, the lease signed buy a store owner  might also determine what party is responsible for your injuries. An example of this is a lease may establish which party is responsible for maintaining the entrance to the store. Collecting evidence at the scene is of critical importance.

Liability of the Mall Owner to Victims of Crime on  the Premise

It is a sad reality that crime happens in all places, including shopping malls. In order for a mall owner to be civilly liable for injuries you sustain as the result of a violent crime happening to you at the mall, it will be necessary to prove that the mall owner failed to “exercise reasonable care or take reasonable precautions to protect potential victims of crime.” An example of this is having adequate security on the premises during all open business hours to deter such violent acts. However, “reasonable precautions” does not mean that a shopping mall owner must absolutely prevent any violent crime from occurring on the property. It simply means that they must take reasonable precautions.

If you are the victim of a violent crime at a shopping mall, it will be necessary to prove that the crime  committed against you was both “foreseeable and that the owner of the mall did not take reasonable precautions to protect customers from the foreseeable threat.” If you are the victim of a violent crime at a shopping mall, call our office at TheOneLawyer.com as soon as possible for a free consultation to discuss your injuries and the possible liability for your personal injuries sustained at the shopping mall.

Making a Claim Against a Shopping Mall

If you have been injured at a shopping mall,  call us at TheOneLawyer.com for a free consultation to discuss the personal injuries you sustained at the shopping mall. An attorney can gather and evaluate evidence. In addition, an attorney will be able to file a complaint and be able to request documents, subpoena maintenance records, interview witnesses, and conduct depositions to preserve witness testimony

At the law offices of TheOneLawyer.com, we will also locate possible claims against other parties, depending on the nature of the injury. Examples of third-party liability include the manufacturer of a faulty escalator, elevator, or the security company hired to provide security. In addition, there may be ADA issues for handicap guests, or liability by a local government agency for failure to thoroughly inspect the premises or failing to assure that the building was up to code.

Getting a Lawyer to Fight for You

At TheOneLawyer.com, we handle claims against Shopping Malls for severe injury and wrongful death personal injury claims. At TheOneLawyer.com we are lawyers who fight against large commercial venues like shopping malls, retails stores, hotels and all commercial business who may negligently cause injuries to their guests. We handle the claims for the  personal injuries of our clients sustained at Shopping Malls. If you have been injured or a loved one has been injured at a Shopping Mall, call us for a free consultation.

WHY I AM GRATEFULL 2022:  On this Sunday morning I will be volunteering at Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) with my son to discuss career options and my topic, of course, law school and becoming an attorney. I am great full for the chance to volunteer in our community with my son and answer the boys’ questions about law school and the practice of law. This is a great organization I will have the privilege of volunteering in with my three sons for a decade. It is a great community organization to provide much needed service to many local charities. It is important for all of us to be the change we want to see in the world by making gratitude a part of each day. If we all practice gratitude more regularly, the world will be a kinder place. Each of my blogs will contain something I am grateful for and reviewed in our year end blog. I hope that you will also have a lengthy list by the end of 2022. I hope that by reflecting on gratitude, we will find the positive of everyday, even the days that are stressful.

We fight hard with this companies for our clients every day and we are grateful you have chosen TheOneLawyer.com to fight your you and your family after a car accident and help you recover for the injuries sustained in that car accident. At TheOneLawyer.com, we are here to serve our community and provide legal services in the Henderson and Las Vegas area and we are grateful for this opportunity. We are a boutique law firm providing experienced and personal representation to injured clients. At the Law Offices of Laura Payne, Esq. TheOneLawyer.com we provide professional and personal service to each and every one of our clients on various legal matters and have over 15 years of experience in reviewing insurance policies and in Nevada insurance law. If you have a question regarding any type of personal injury or paying your medical bills from an accident, please do not hesitate to call the offices of TheOneLawyer.com and speak directly to attorney Laura Marie Payne,  Esq. a Henderson Injury Attorney for over 15 years. Laura is recognized as one of Nevada’s Top 100 Lawyers. She has the experience and knowledge to obtain the maximum settlement you deserve. Please call our office if you or a loved one is injured. We can make sure that you receive the care you need and deserve and advise on how to preserve evidence.

At our office, we are experienced in helping injured victims get the compensation to which they are entitled. Insurance companies never have the best interest of the injured person at the top of their priorities. They want to pay as little on every claim as possible. Having worked for an insurance company as an attorney for 9 years before opening my boutique law firm specializing in helping injured people, I have reviewed thousands of auto accident claims and policy provisions.

At the Henderson and Las Vegas Accident injury law offices of TheOneLaweyer.com, Laura Payne, Esq. and her staff are here to help you and your family in the event that accidents and tragedies occur. For any of your legal needs, do not hesitate to contact our Henderson and Las Vegas Accident injury offices. TheOneLawyer.com is a boutique, family-owned law firm that specializes in helping injured people and the community of Las Vegas and Henderson Nevada with legal issues involving auto accidents, wrongful deaths, slip and falls, truck accidents, injuries to children, bicycle accidents, dog bites, product liability claims, and all types of injury claims. Please do not hesitate to call us anytime you have a legal question or you or a loved one has sustained an injury at 702-450-4868 and text 24/7 at 702-600-0032.

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