Long Beach Residents Terrorized by Teens Fed Up with Negligence by Management

To get a sense of the negligence that Camden Harbor View’s management company is accused of, let’s take a look at what the residents are saying. According to a resident named Kimberly, a gang of teens attacked a man who was simply walking in the area. She said about the incident, which was caught on camera, “They were stalking him and he didn’t want to fight back. He was just trying to get them to stop. He didn’t want to hurt kids.”

Another resident named Susan Herman talked about the building’s security patrol, which she called “a joke.” Herman, who was attacked at the complex swimming pool said, “We have amenities here that we’re too afraid to use because you don’t know what you’re going to find. Those teenagers are just out of control.”

The physical attacks by teens are bad enough, but there have also been numerous incidents of property damage, car theft, and arson. In early September, 5 cars were set on fire in the area between the apartment complex and the Long Beach Convention Center. In addition, a truck in the apartment complex parking garage was set on fire. Footage of the man believed to be the arsonist has been released, and Long Beach police are asking the public for information.

But the police aren’t the only ones that have a duty of care to the residents. The company in charge of managing the building has to improve security measures, which may include hiring professional security guards to patrol certain areas of the property.

However, tenants claim that nothing has been done, and it’s clear that management does not care about people being assaulted or being at risk of injury or death from arson and other criminal acts. Unfortunately, negligence by apartment building or complex owners is a common issue all across the country. In particular, lack of security is a major problem that results in physical assault, sexual assault, muggings, robbery, fires, shootings, and death, even at upscale apartment buildings.

As we mentioned, residents are planning to voice their frustrations at a City Hall meeting in the near future. But they also have the right to seek legal remedies through the civil courts, especially those who have been injured in a physical attack. If you are one of these residents or someone that was injured due to negligence by a building management firm, you may be entitled to some or all of the following damages:

• Medical expenses to treat the initial injuries, as well as long-term medical needs, including surgery, physical therapy and counseling.
• Loss of income due to missed time at work or inability to perform your job duties
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Value of damaged belongings
• Attorney’s fees
• Punitive damages

Many complexes will argue that they have taken reasonable security measures, and they can’t be blamed for every criminal incident on the premises. But we have been representing renters and tenants for many years, and we know that this is far from the truth. If anything, apartment management companies and condo boards will look for ways to cut corners and ensure that they keep most of the money they collect on a monthly basis.

Fortunately, California’s premises liability law makes it clear that building owners and operators have a legal duty to prevent injuries to others. That’s why buildings must have adequate security measures, like surveillance cameras and security doors that lock automatically. If there’s clear evidence that residents are at risk, the apartment complex must take additional steps, like installing security alarms and hiring people to patrol and supervise the property.

It’s important to note that quite a few of the incidents at Camden Harbor View Apartments were captured on video. That means building management has clear evidence that their residents are in danger. Even worse, they have failed to enhance security in and around the buildings, which is a textbook example of negligence under the state’s premises liability laws.

The California assault and battery lawyers of DTLA Law Group will not sit by and watch innocent people being terrorized on a daily basis. Certainly, the teenagers and other criminals are to blame, but the apartment complex also has a responsibility to ensure the safety of their tenants. As a victim of assault due to negligence by your apartment complex, you have the right to file a lawsuit and demand justice in the form of monetary compensation. An attorney at our office can advise you of your rights and help you sue the building’s management company.

Personal injury lawsuits are sometimes seen as frivolous, and we have to agree that there are cases where the person is trying to exploit the legal system for monetary gain. But a victim of assault and battery is likely to have serious injuries to their body and mind. If these injuries are permanent, they may lose their job or the ability to live independently. You can imagine the devastation this will cause, not just to the victim, but to those who are financially dependent on them.

That’s why there’s nothing frivolous about a lawsuit for assault and battery if you were attacked at apartment complex. Possible injuries from these incidents include:

• Broken bones
• Neck or spinal cord injury
• Scars and other kinds of disfigurement
• Dislocated joints
• Traumatic brain injury
• Rupturing of the internal organs
• Permanent loss of function / paralysis

Victims can also end up with severe psychological damage from the trauma of being attacked. Let’s take, for example, the man who was attacked by a group of teenagers while he was taking a walk around Camden Harbor View Apartments. This is an incredibly traumatizing incident and people in these situations typically suffer from PTSD. The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder include nightmares, severe anxiety, flashbacks, and physical sensations like shaking and sweating when they are reminded of the attack.

Monetary damages include compensation for emotional trauma, and this is a critical factor in lawsuits for assault and battery. However, making a case for non-economic damages and fighting for the compensation you deserve can be very difficult for the average person. To ensure that you receive maximum payment from an assault and battery lawsuit, contact our office and speak to a member of our legal team.

A lawsuit for assault and battery is worth anywhere from $100,000 to $3,000,000 or more based on the degree of injury and negligence by the responsible party. Generally, lawsuits against building management companies have higher case values than injury claims against homeowners. This is due to the fact that apartment complexes are bigger properties with more people on the premises at any given time. Thus, there is a higher expectation of security measures on these properties in order to protect residents and visitors.

An assault and battery lawsuit is worth anywhere from $1,500,000 to over $5,000,000 if the victim has a permanent disability or dies as a result of their injuries. However, it takes skilled legal representation to secure these types of settlements, which is why you should contact an assault and battery lawyer as soon as possible.

It takes around 6 to 12 months to settle an assault and battery claim if there are no permanent injuries and there is substantial evidence of negligence by the apartment complex. However, many of these incidents result in serious, lifelong injuries, including mental health issues. Such cases will take 1 to 3 years to settle, based on whether a trial is needed to recover your payment.

Whether you file as a group or as an individual can also affect the timeline for a settlement. The majority of assault and battery lawsuits are filed by one person or the individual’s family member (in the case of wrongful death). However, security failures at an apartment complex affect many people. If there are multiple victims that have all been assaulted, they have the option of filing a class action lawsuit.

Because of the requirements to form and certify a class action, along with the number of plaintiffs that require justice, it usually takes 2 to 3 years to settle a class action lawsuit. In the event that a trial is needed, it can take another year or two before the victims receive compensation.

You have 2 years to file an assault and battery lawsuit and obtain compensation for your monetary losses. For most people, the statute of limitations for a lawsuit begins on the day of the accident. But if you have an injury that takes time to develop (brain damage or paralysis, for example), you have 2 years from the date of discovering the injury to file a lawsuit.

If you’ve lost a family member who was physically assaulted, you are probably wondering how long you have to file a lawsuit for negligence by the property owner. In California, you have 2 years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit. A wrongful death claim compensates loved ones for monetary losses, like funeral expenses and medical bills associated with the victim’s injuries. It also provides compensation for the emotional distress and pain and suffering from losing someone in such a traumatic and senseless manner.

Regardless of which legal action you are filing, the key is to speak with an attorney who can help you gather evidence and file the necessary paperwork. This should be done as soon as possible to ensure that your lawsuit is filed before the statute of limitations expires on your case.

The negligent apartment building lawsuit attorneys of DTLA are ready to speak with you if you were assaulted or injured from an accident at Camden Harbor View Apartments or any other building in Southern California. All you have to do is contact us and take some time to speak with one of our attorneys.

We provide free consultations, no matter where you are in the legal process. If you have been recently injured, we are happy to meet with you for a free initial case review. Alternatively, we can give you a free second opinion on your case if you already have a lawyer that’s representing you. If you decide to hire us, you pay $0 out of pocket, as we are a contingency-based law firm. We also protect you with the Zero Fee Guarantee so that you won’t be responsible for any legal fees if we don’t win your case.

For a detailed discussion on your rights and legal options, please reach out to us at your earliest convenience.