Premises Liability is Harder Than it Looks

Many assume if they are injured on another person’s property, the owner and/or the owner’s insurance is responsible for their injuries. In reality, premises liability is very tough. A recent Court of Appeals case illustrates how challenging a premises liability claim can be for someone claiming injury.[1] A woman asked two relatives to tear down […]

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Are Landlords Responsible for a Tenant’s Dog?

If a tenant's guest is injured by the tenant's dog, is the landlord responsible? Will the landlord's insurance pay for the injury? Maybe. Maybe not. A common misperception is that if you are injured on someone else's property, they and/or their insurance are responsible to pay for your injury. But, it is not so simple […]

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A Parking Space Angled Into a Crosswalk. What Could Go Wrong?

A parking space angled into a crosswalk directly behind it, so that any driver pulling out of the parking space must pull directly into a parking lot crosswalk. See where this is going? A customer used the painted crosswalk to walk towards an entrance to Value Village in Marysville. A customer backed a minivan from […]

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Tenant Injury on Stairs

Injuries on stairs are common, including in rental properties. Whether the landlord is responsible for the injury will depend on several factors. Landlords must keep common areas in a reasonably safe condition for tenants and their guests. If the stairs are in a common area the landlord may be liable for a failure to keep […]

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Landlord Responsibility for Injuries to Guests

Sometimes a tenant’s guests are injured because of a dangerous condition in the rental property. Whether the landlord is legally responsible for injuries to a tenant’s guests depends on various factors including whether the property is commercial or residential, whether the injury occurred in a common area, whether the lease contract requires repairs, whether the […]

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Retail Store Slip and Fall Cases

Slip and fall cases in retail stores are common. Human factors studies and common experience show that when we are shopping our eyes are where retailers want them, on their goods. Also when we are shopping we often are carrying goods or have a shopping cart filled with items obstructing our view. We have the […]

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Injury in Northgate Mall Parking Lot

Many innocently and reasonably assume if they are injured on business property the business’s insurance will pay the personal injury claim, or at least the medical bills. In fact, the claim will almost certainly be denied, even if it is meritorious. A recent Court of Appeals case (although not one of our cases) illustrates how […]

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Recent Slip and Fall Appellate Decisions

In the past few months the Washington Court of Appeals has decided several slip and fall cases (none represented by our law firm). In each of the cases, the injured person lost in the trial court, and then lost again on appeal. [1]  Slip and fall cases are difficult personal injury cases, as these results […]

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Landlord Not Liable When Deck Step Collapsed

Contrary to a commonly held belief, when someone is injured on another’s property it is sometimes difficult to prove liability.  Though not one of our cases, a recent Court of Appeals case illustrates this point. A woman was leaving her boyfriend’s home when she realized she had left her cell phone. When she returned for […]

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Proving a Slip and Fall Injury Case

People injured because of a slip and fall accident may be legally entitled to fair compensation for their injuries. Nevertheless, slip and fall personal injury claims can be among the most difficult claims to pursue. Contrary to a commonly held belief, if you are a social guest and slip and fall on someone else’s property, […]

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