Assault Personal Injury Settlement Against A Bank

PARRIS obtained a $5.5 million personal injury settlement on behalf of a woman who was viciously attacked with an aluminum bat by a man while withdrawing money from a bank ATM. The ATM was just outside the front door of the bank branch.

The bank in question was in a dangerous area, and the bank was aware of several prior violent acts that took place at or near that branch location. Even the bank’s unarmed security guards complained about the danger posed by the bank’s location. Despite this, there were no bank employees or armed security guards close enough to the ATM to protect the public at the time of the attack.

Prior to attacking the victim, the assailant shattered several car windows and injured another victim. The attack fractured our client’s skull, leaving her with severe mental, physical, and emotional injuries. Our client alleged that the bank was to blame for the accident: the bank claimed it was safe, yet failed to take reasonable measures to ensure her safety.

The bank did not post a permanent security guard at a location from which the guard could observe the ATM or the bank’s front door. Additionally, the security guards that worked at the branch location were not provided with any weapons or a cell phone. In the event of an attack they were supposed to walk away from the attack and lock the bank doors, and call the police on the bank’s landline.

Under California law, businesses have a duty to take reasonable precautions to protect customers from potential criminal conduct. They are required to exercise reasonable care for customer safety and are liable for injuries resulting from failure to do so. With the backing of PARRIS lawyers, our client was able to recover $5.5 million for her injuries.

Another notable premises liability case result obtained by PARRIS includes a $9.225 million settlement for a woman whose foot was crushed by an unstable table placed in the lobby of a luxury hotel.

Read more about premises liability.