At Cowen Edwards, we stand alongside any victim of sexual assault at bars and nightclubs in the Fort Lauderdale area. The owners and operators of these establishments can be held responsible for the physical, emotional, and financial consequences of an attack.
We help victims prove that the owners of a nightclub failed in their duty to keep guests safe. Then we demand the maximum in support for victims. If you have been a victim, please contact our lawyers for a free, confidential consultation on how to seek justice and full support through recovery.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Sexual Assault at a Fort Lauderdale Nightclub?
Yes. In many cases, your civil litigation will result in a better outcome for you and your family if you turn your case over to strong legal representation. A skilled lawyer can gather evidence to strengthen your case and knows when to reject low settlement offers and demand more.
The owners of a bar or club can be fully liable for any crime committed on innocent victims on their properties. Unfortunately, their insurance adjusters will be working to help owners wiggle out of accountability. What’s more, these owners can also afford teams of lawyers to defend their shady actions. Having your own attorney will even the playing field.
Another benefit that’s especially important for the victims of sexual assault is that a lawyer will be handling a frustrating settlement process or trial while providing as little disruption to the victim as possible. Victims can focus on healing with the assurance that they will receive the support they need now and in the future.
Can Nightclubs Be Held Responsible for Sexual Assault Crimes?
Business and property owners are responsible for the safety of the people they invite in. They must look out for customers, ticket holders, concertgoers, and others when they open their doors or allow people onto their properties. This includes the businesses that make up the nightlife along 2nd Street and Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard.
Owners and operators must take every precaution possible to keep visitors safe. That should include strong security and other safety measures. The absence of safety measures is described by a legal concept known as “negligent security.”
When a sexual assault occurs and the lack of security is a contributing factor, owners can be held financially responsible for the victims’ physical and emotional recovery.
There are several ways nightclub owners can neglect security and put guests at risk:
- Lack of security guards or too few security guards
- Lack of training for security guards
- Hiring security guards and employees with violent criminal records
- Lack of proper lighting at night in parking lots
- Too few surveillance cameras or a security system that isn’t working
- Failure to warn customers of previous assaults on the premises or in the area
- Allowing entrance to a guest who poses a known risk to others
- Bartenders who don’t protect guests from drinks that have been spiked
A skilled Fort Lauderdale Nightclub Negligent Security Lawyer would fully investigate and collect evidence of these lapses and more. That evidence will be key when a business or company tries to blame a victim or blame someone else for what happened.
Proving a Business Owner Is Responsible for a Sexual Assault
Cowen Edwards helps sexual assault victims prove the negligence of nightclub and bar owners. Victims would want to show that business owners ignored their “duty of care” to protect customers under Florida’s premises liability laws.
A lawyer will be highlighting this neglect of a guest’s rights after an attack. These circumstances should factor into every strong case:
- Proof the business owners owed the victim a duty of care, neglected that care, and as a result the victim suffered a sexual assault.
- Proof that the owners and operators of a bar or nightclub knew or should have known about the risks to guests.
This last factor is known as “foreseeability.” Victims might prove an owner should have foreseen the risk due to previous criminal incidents at the business or in the area. A lawyer would also get aggressive in showing how all owners running businesses that serve alcohol should be prepared for the chance of violence anytime they open their doors.
Earning Support Sexual Assault Victims Hurt at Nightclubs
Victims will require financial support to pay for the care they already received and the care they may need in the years ahead. Nightclub owners or corporate owners must be held fully accountable for the victim’s needs after an attack. Victims should get the best care available and not have to worry about the cost.
Cowen Edwards would demand these benefits and more on behalf of victims:
- Support for all medical bills related to physical injuries, medications, and rehabilitation for as long as necessary
- Support for the physical pain experienced by victims
- Support for the emotional trauma caused by a sexual assault, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and the loss of enjoyment of life
- Money to pay for therapy
- Reimbursement for the lost income victims face while being unable to work
When companies display gross negligence (negligence so careless that it almost rises to the level of intentional harm) a court might award punitive damages to punish the company owner or corporation.
This penalty is meant to deter similar lapses in security in the future. The punishment isn’t assigned to benefit the patient, but the financial penalty is awarded to the sexual assault victim. This can mean a substantial addition to a victim’s settlement check.
Dedicated Fort Lauderdale Negligent Security Sexual Assault Lawyers
After a frightening attack, victims will have enough to deal with as they seek to heal. When the negligent security of a business contributed to a sexual assault, victims should never have to worry about financial concerns while in recovery.
At Cowen Edwards, we go to work to earn justice for clients while causing as little disruption to victims and their families as possible. We want to make sure the victims of crime have everything they require to begin to recover physically, emotionally, and financially.
When you’re hurt in a negligent security incident in Fort Lauderdale, we’ll be there to stand up for your rights and hold those responsible fully accountable. Don’t wait–contact us today to set up your free, confidential consultation.
