Bel Air Markets Assault and Battery Lawsuit Attorney
Bel Air Markets was a small supermarket chain of 20 locations in the Sacramento Metro Region. The business was founded in 1955 by the Wong family, but in 1992, the stores were acquired by Raley’s Supermarkets – a grocery store giant with many brands under their name, including Nob Hill Foods, Food City, and FieldTRUE Organic.
When people are shopping at Bel Air Markets, they expect to find high quality products and friendly service from staff members. They also expect the store to be clean, well-organized and free of dangerous conditions. But many people don’t stop to think about security issues that can prevent incidents of physical or sexual assault. However, businesses are required to spend considerable time and effort on securing their premises and keeping customers safe from a life-altering attack.
If you are a victim of assault and battery due to a store’s failure to adequately secure the premises, you have the right to file a lawsuit and seek damages for the harm you suffered. To learn about the compensation that may be available to you, contact a Bel Air assaults and sexual abuse attorney as soon as possible.
Lack of Security Resulting in Assault and Battery
The leading cause of assault incidents at supermarkets and other retailers is lack of security. Going into a grocery store is an uneventful event, and no one expects to be attacked while they are picking up food and other essentials. Unfortunately, a lapse in security can lead to a customer being mugged, physically attacked, or sexually assaulted on the premises. This is why business owners must be mindful of security measures, like surveillance cameras, locks on bathroom doors, and bright lights out by dumpsters and other areas where criminals can hide.
Even if various forms of security exist at the store, additional security may be needed if there is a prior history of crimes on the property. This is another aspect of premises liability that is often neglected by store owners. Along with lack of security, inadequate security is another basis for an assault and battery lawsuit against Bel Air Markets.
$1.93 Million
$2,287,495
$54 Million
$22 Million
$600,000
$965,000
$1,900,000
$1,975,000
Assault and Battery by Security Guard
Loss prevention specialists and security guards are a familiar site at stores throughout California, and we can all agree that they serve an important purpose. In some cases, security personnel need to use physical means to restrain someone. But this is a last resort, as there are usually other ways to deal with unruly customers or people who are suspected of shoplifting and other offenses.
The truth is, many people that work in security use violence due to poor judgment or an inflated sense of their own power and authority. That’s why you often hear about people who are thrown to the ground, shoved, kicked, placed in a chokehold, etc. Such actions can cause serious injuries, and even death in the case of chokeholds or usage of a firearm.
Aside from security guards at a supermarket, there are plenty of other staff members at a Bel Air’s location that can overreact and injure someone at the store. This usually happens when customers and employees get into an argument, which most of us have witnessed at one point or another. The problem is when words escalate to blows and other physical acts.
Under the state’s vicarious liability laws, you may have grounds to sue Bel Air Markets for injuries that were inflicted on you by a store employee. Our legal experts are here to answer any questions you have, so contact our office and schedule a free case review.
Sexual Assault at a Bel Air’s Market Location
Sexual assault is not something most people associate with supermarkets, but these incidents are quite common at grocery store locations, even in broad daylight. Attacks by sexual predators occur most frequently in store bathrooms and outdoor areas, like the parking lot, especially in the back of the store. These locations are specifically targeted by criminals, and it doesn’t help that many business owners fail to secure these areas.
First and foremost, owners must install security cameras throughout the premises and inspect them regularly to ensure they are working properly. Bright lights must be installed in sections of the property where people are especially vulnerable (rear parking lots and trash dumpsters, for example). In the bathrooms, there must be strong and fully functioning locks on the door or bathroom stalls. Unfortunately, we’ve all come across bathroom stalls with broken or poorly installed locks, and this is definitely a security breach that can cause someone to be sexually assaulted.
A sexual assault lawyer here at DTLA Law Group is available to hear your story and help you determine the best course of action. Don’t hesitate to call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you need information on how to sue Bel Air Markets for sexual assault.
What is the Average Payout for these Cases?
A lawsuit against Bel Air Markets for assault and battery can be worth anywhere from $100,000 to $3,000,000. As we can only provide estimates, it’s important to note that some cases will settle for less. But other lawsuits result in verdicts of $5,000,000 and above, and this is due to various factors, like the severity of injuries and degree of negligence by the defendant. The victim’s emotional trauma also plays a big role in settlement values. For example, the settlement for a sexual assault lawsuit typically includes non-economic damages, like pain and suffering and emotional distress.
These and many other variables will help us determine the value of your lawsuit if you were sexually or physically assaulted at a Bel Air Markets store.
When will My Case be Settled?
On average, it takes between 6 and 12 months to settle a personal injury claim, but the amount of time to resolve assault and battery cases can be quite a bit longer. That’s not to say that you can’t reach a settlement with the store owner in less time, but we are going by an average timeframe based on the majority of clients we represent for assault and battery or sexual assault.
Due to the sensitive nature of these incidents, the potential for severe injury or death, and the amount of compensation owed to the victim, 1 to 2 years is a fairly standard timeline to reach a settlement. No matter how long it takes, hiring a Bel Air Markets assault and battery lawyer is the key to receiving maximum payment from a store liability claim.
How Long You have to File an Assault and Battery Claim
If you were physically assaulted due to another party’s negligence or misconduct, your deadline to file a lawsuit is 2 years. Please note the statute of limitations begins on the date of injury, so you must file a claim for damages as soon as possible to ensure that you do not run out of time for a lawsuit.
What is you are a victim of sexual assault at a Bel Air supermarket? If you are an adult, meaning you were 18 years or older at the time, you have 10 years to seek monetary damages from the store. If, on the other hand, you were under 18 years old, you have 22 years to file a lawsuit under California’s child sexual abuse laws. Please note that the 22-year window starts from when you turn 18 (legal age of consent in California), so victims of child sexual assault have until age 40 to sue the liable entities. In some cases, the victim may qualify for an extension beyond the age of 40, which is allowed under the discovery rule. This is a complicated legal exception that you should discuss with a sex abuse during childhood lawsuit attorney if you were a minor at the time you were sexually assaulted at Bel Air Markets.
Contact Our Law Firm
An incident of assault and battery has lifelong consequences for the victim, whose sense of security and trust in others is damaged forever. Most of these incidents are preventable, but sadly, negligence by business owners and employees can result in someone being injured through no fault of their own.
There’s no need to suffer in silence when you have the supermarket assault and battery lawyers of DTLA by your side. We are more than ready to advise you of your rights and help you file a compensation claims against Bel Air Markets. Along with a free consultation, we provide a Zero Fee Guarantee that makes all of our services free to you. The cost of hiring us is paid by Bel Air Markets, and only if we succeed in recovering your settlement. If we don’t win your case, you pay us $0, guaranteed.
For a detailed discussion of your rights and legal options, contact us to schedule a free case evaluation.
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