Articles Tagged with Georgia Premises Liability Attorney

Security cameraA Jefferson City Police Apartment Security & Safety report warns, “There are some criminals who prey specifically upon apartments and condominiums….You should be aware of, and periodically review, the security and safety of your apartment and apartment building. In rental buildings, the building owner and management are responsible for security.

Apartment complex owners and management companies may implement a variety of security precautions to meet this crucial responsibility. According to JCPD, this duty typically involves:

  1. ensuring that security systems meet or exceed security requirements for apartment buildings, such as deadbolt locks on doors, good lighting and window locks;
  2. ensuring that security systems provide reasonable protection for all residents — in their apartments and in common areas, such as parking garages and elevators;
  3. conducting regular inspections to spot and fix security problems, such as broken locks or burned­out exterior lights, and asking residents to submit security concerns or suggestions as part of continuing maintenance;
  4. dealing with complaints about dangerous situations, suspicious activities or broken security items.

The Jefferson City Police Department recommends particular attention to the following security measures:

  • Apartment Corridor & Balcony Doors

Doors are a burglar’s first choice of entry. Your apartment door should have a good deadbolt lock. One feature to look for is lock throw — the length the locking bolt protrudes from the door into the surrounding door frame when placed in the full lock position. Test this by locking the door while it is open — a good deadbolt lock protrudes 35 mm (1 1∕2 in.) or more when fully extended. A strong deadbolt lock also has a jimmy­ proof strike plate (the part of the lock assembly mounted in the door frame to receive the bolt). The strike plate should be secured to the door framing by screws at least 50–75 mm (2–3 in.) long. This ensures the strike plate is fastened to the structure of the wall and not just the door frame….Install a door viewer (peephole) in your entrance door, if you do not already have one.

Equip balcony doors with the same type of deadbolt locks recommended for corridor doors. There is special hardware to secure sliding balcony doors but a simple, effective, inexpensive solution is a sturdy piece of wood in the door’s track to prevent the sliding door from opening.

  • Windows

Make sure all windows close fully, that the locking hardware is in good condition and that it is easy to lock the window when you shut it. Ensure that a thief cannot lift a horizontal window out of its track.

  • Electronic Building Entry Systems

The front door entry system of most apartment buildings allows a resident to remotely let guests into the building. These systems are only effective if the front door locking system functions and intruders cannot take advantage of an open door to enter the building (known as piggy­backing).

  • Elevators & Lobbies

Elevators and lobbies should be well lit, day and night. Interior lighting in lobbies and corridors should not be on an accessible switch but should instead be controlled by a timer or photocell….Possible hiding places under stairwells should be eliminated. Elevators should be equipped with both a telephone and alarm or duress buttons connected to the resident manager’s unit and an outside central monitoring station. Lobbies should have glass doors, glass in exterior doors and/or side lights.

  • Laundry Rooms & Workout Rooms

Laundry rooms in apartment or condominium complexes can represent special security problems. Ideally, the entrance into laundry rooms should be from the exterior of the building and clearly visible. Laundry room door locks should require a tenant or owner key. The laundry room door should have a window in it. A duress alarm and/or telephone should be available in the laundry room. Interior lighting should be wired to remain on permanently during hours of operation. Residents should be encouraged not to use the laundry facilities alone or during late night hours. The same crime prevention or security recommendations applicable to laundry rooms are also applicable to common exercise or workout rooms.

View the complete JCPD Apartment Security & Safety report here.

We are here to Help. Contact us for a Free Consultation.

The Murray Law Firm has extensive and successful experience in representing victims of apartment violence and security negligence in Georgia and we offer our legal expertise, if desired. Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us at 888.842.1616. Consultations are free and confidential.

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Choosing the Right Attorney

Selecting the right attorney for you or your family is highly important. You must feel confident that the attorney you hire has a complete understanding of the law applicable to your particular case, and has successful experience in handling such cases.

Important: Do not hire a lawyer who has violated the Rules of Professional Conduct!!!

You should not hire an attorney who calls you or visits you unsolicited, or anyone that contacts you directly to offer legal services. This activity is strictly prohibited by Rule 7.3 of the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which states as follows:

ABA Center for Professional ResponsibilityA LAWYER “SHALL NOT” CONTACT A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT THROUGH A “LIVE TELEPHONE” OR AN “IN-PERSON” VISIT.

– RULE 7.3, ABA MODEL RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT.

If an attorney, or someone acting on behalf of an attorney, contacts you in this manner, that attorney is in violation of this Rule. This unethical and unprofessional activity on the part of the lawyer is good sign that you should stay away. It is imperative that you are represented by an attorney who is capable of advocating for you within the confines of the law, and an attorney who fails to abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct is probably not the best fit. In fact, any such attorney should be immediately reported to the local State Bar Association. If you have been contacted in such an unsolicited manner, contact us and we’ll assist you in filing a report.
SAC EM Update

Contingency Fees Disclaimer: “Contingent attorneys’ fees refers only to those fees charged by attorneys for their legal services. Such fees are not permitted in all types of cases. Court costs and other additional expenses of legal action usually must be paid by the client.

The tragic August death of GSU freshman, Michael Gatto, has rallied many in support of Michael’s Law, a bill which would keep underage patrons and bouncers out of bars. House Bill 152 passed the Georgia House of Representatives on Friday, March 13th and now awaits review in the Georgia Senate.

Connect Statesboro Reports:

Since the death of GSU freshman Michael Gatto at Rude Rudy’s last August, Statesboro has been a hotbed of contention over underage alcohol sales and bar attendance. Police charged Grant James Spencer, then 20 — a bouncer who was at the club but reportedly off-duty at the time — with aggravated battery and felony murder. Gatto had arrived as a freshman at Georgia Southern University about two weeks earlier. Spencer, who was also a GSU student, remains in jail awaiting trial. Rude Rudy’s closed after Gatto’s death, and the club’s owner surrendered his alcohol license to the city.

In response to their son’s death, Gatto’s parents have been working to pass a bill that would keep underage people out of bars and away from alcohol. Last Friday, March 13, the Georgia House of Representatives passed House Bill 152, which proposes several changes to alcohol regulation laws statewide.

WHAT IT DOES

Here are the bare bones: The Georgia House of Representatives approved legislation to define what bars are, make 21 the minimum age to enter one or work as a bouncer, and place new demands on cities, counties and businesses to report alcoholic beverage violations.

BREAKING IT DOWN

What’s a bar?

According to the new legislation, a bar is a place that derives 75 percent or more of its revenue from alcoholic beverages. The Department of Revenue will be able to look at the monthly sales tax reports of each venue to determine where its revenue is coming from.

Under this definition, Statesboro technically doesn’t have any “bars” — only restaurants that serve alcohol but derive more than 50 percent of their revenue from food sales, or “sports restaurants” required only to have a food permit. However, if any Statesboro venues were to be audited and found to derive 75 percent of their revenue from alcohol sales, they would have to change their status to “bar” and enforce the under-21 restrictions.

The 21 rule

Under HB 152, a person have to be at least 21 years old to enter a bar. That applies to employees as well as customers, although the bill doesn’t explicitly include bartenders or servers.

Bouncers—defined as “individual(s) primarily performing duties related to verifying age for admittance, security, maintaining order, or safety, or a combination thereof” — must also be 21 years old.

Required reporting

Alcohol license holders must self-report any violations of local, state or federal alcohol laws to the Georgia Department of Revenue within 45 days of the violation.Cities and counties must also report any violations within their jurisdiction to the Department of Revenue. The revenue commissioner can issue fines of up to $750 for license holders who fail to report violations

SO IS THIS A DONE DEAL?

Not exactly. The bill has been passed in the Georgia House of Representatives and still has to go through the Georgia Senate. The Senate could alter the bill or hold off on passing it, meaning it wouldn’t come up again as a potential law until next year. Also, to become an official law, it’s going to need the governor’s signature.

Read the full article at Connect Statesboro and follow House Bill 152 at the Georgia General Assembly.