Negligent Security Lawyer in Dunwoody

Over 40 Years Handling Georgia Premises Liability Claims Under the 2025 Statutory Framework

When a crime occurs on someone else’s property, the question isn’t just who committed the act but whether the property owner failed to keep the premises reasonably safe. I’ve represented personal injury clients throughout Georgia for over 40 years, and I handle negligent security claims for individuals in Dunwoody and across multiple Georgia counties from my office here in DeKalb County.

If you or a family member was injured in a crime on someone else’s property, call (678) 974-0432 today. I offer a complimentary case review and work on a contingency basis, so there’s no fee unless I recover for you.

What Georgia Law Requires Property Owners to Do

Under O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1, an owner or occupier of land must exercise ordinary care to keep the premises and approaches safe for those lawfully invited onto the property. Negligent security, defined under O.C.G.A. § 51-3-50, is a claim against an owner, occupier, or security contractor for bodily injury or wrongful death arising from a failure to protect invitees from the wrongful conduct of third persons. In plain terms: if a property owner knew or should have known that a crime was foreseeable and did nothing, they may be liable for the harm that followed.

To recover, an invitee must now satisfy the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 51-3-51: that the wrongful conduct and the resulting injury were foreseeable, that the conduct was linked to a known hazardous condition on the property, that the owner failed to exercise ordinary care to address it, and that this failure proximately caused the injury. Foreseeability can be established through a particularized warning of imminent wrongful conduct, actual knowledge of prior substantially similar crimes on the property or within 500 yards, or knowledge that the specific perpetrator had a prior criminal history and was present on the premises.

Where Negligent Security Claims Arise in Dunwoody

These claims arise most often at apartment complexes, retail stores and shopping centers, parking lots and garages, and hotels. Dunwoody’s Perimeter Center district, at the junction of GA 400 and I-285, is a dense commercial hub with office towers, retail centers, and a MARTA transit station. The volume of foot traffic in that corridor, combined with the number of property owners and occupiers operating there, means negligent security fact patterns are not uncommon in this area.

Failures that support these claims often include inadequate lighting, broken or missing locks, absent or malfunctioning security cameras, and a lack of on-site security personnel. When a known, documented hazard went unaddressed, the owner or occupier may bear responsibility for the resulting harm.

Georgia Senate Bill 68 & the New Negligent Security Standard

Governor Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 68 on April 21, 2025, creating Georgia’s first dedicated statutory framework for negligent security claims under O.C.G.A. §§ 51-3-50 through 51-3-57. The new provisions apply to incidents occurring on or after that date. Incidents before April 21, 2025, remain governed by the prior common-law foreseeability standard, including the totality-of-the-circumstances test the Georgia Supreme Court adopted in Georgia CVS Pharmacy, LLC v. Carmichael (2023). Courts are currently applying this 2025 framework as claims under it reach litigation.

Under SB 68, a jury must apportion fault among the property owner, the criminal perpetrator, and any other responsible party. The statute establishes a presumption against verdicts that assign the perpetrator less fault than the property owner or other non-criminal parties. Security contractors hired to provide services can be held liable to the same extent and subject to the same limitations as the property owner or occupier.