Under Chicago regulations, commercial property is any type of business or premises that is used to sell goods or provide a service. Commercial property liability could happen when a person is injured on a commercial property. Reach out to a Chicago commercial property premises liability lawyer if you were injured at the site of a business. A seasoned premises liability attorney could fight for your right to compensation.
Property Owner Requirements
A property owner must exercise ordinary care to see that the premises are reasonably safe for the use of those lawfully on the property. Ordinary care is what a rational individual may do in similar circumstances to ensure that the property was reasonably maintained for use. Since there are no specific examples of what may be considered reasonable, it is often left open to a jury to decide if the case will go to trial. To see if a property owner acted negligently or not, contact a Chicago commercial property premises liability lawyer.
Establishing Liability in a Commercial Property Case
Liability in a Chicago commercial property case is assigned differently than non-commercial property. In a commercial property premises liability case, the defendants could include the property owner, property maintenance, or any management companies involved. The specific type of defect that a plaintiff is alleging caused the injury could determine the defendants in the case. If the injury was caused by the negligent design of the property, the defendant could include the architect or the construction company. If there was a wet floor that caused a slip and fall injury, the property owner or manager of the building could be held liable.
The litigation of a commercial property-liability case is changed when the defendant is a large corporation. Such an organization may have numerous resources and assets to defend these types of cases. A large corporation could also hire high-profile or larger firms to represent them. Such resources may allow large companies to stage demonstrative exhibits or re-create the accident.
Identifying the Defendant in a Commercial Property Liability Claim
In premises liability cases, the owner of the property is typically known. One could use the Secretary of State’s website to identify the owner of the property if it is a commercial property or use tax records to determine who owns the property. This could depend on who is paying property taxes on a residential property. Once a person identifies the homeowner or the property owner, they could file suit before the statute of limitations expires. A commercial property premises liability attorney in Chicago could help a plaintiff use discovery to determine the maintenance company, the management company, or any other organization involved in sustaining the property that could have potentially caused or contributed to the defect. If an injured person sues the property owner, the management company, the maintenance company, or the cleaning service company could be considered agents under the owner of the property. Agency laws state that if the agent was negligent, they may share the liability.
How a Chicago Commercial Property Premises Liability Attorney
If you were injured on commercial property, you could be eligible for compensation. A Chicago commercial property premises liability lawyer could help you recover damages. Call today to set up a consultation with a dedicated attorney.