Huntington Beach Premises Liability Lawyer
Huntington Beach Premises Liability Attorney
Property owners throughout the Huntington Beach area have a legal responsibility to properly maintain their properties. If a lawful visitor to any property suffers an injury due to the property owner’s failure to maintain the premises, they should speak with an experienced Huntington Beach premises liability lawyer. The visitor may have grounds for a personal injury claim under California’s premises liability laws.
If you or a loved one recently experienced any kind of injury at a retail store, private business, residence, or any other establishment open to the public, contact our firm. Your legal team can help you determine whether the property owner is liable for your damages, which may include expensive medical bills, lost income, and more.
Representing Premises Liability Claims in Huntington Beach
The team at Easton & Easton has more than 100 years of combined professional experience practicing California civil law. If you need legal representation after an injury like a slip and fall that you believe occurred due to a property owner’s failure to maintain their property adequately in Huntington Beach, call our office. We can help you determine the swiftest route to securing compensation for your losses. Our team is accustomed to handling difficult claims involving substantial damages and unclear liability.
Rest assured, when you choose Easton & Easton as your Huntington Beach premises liability attorneys, you are securing legal representation from one of the most highly experienced teams of civil litigators in Orange County.
We believe in individualized legal representation for every client we accept. When you meet with our team during your initial case evaluation, we will review the details of your injuries, assess the full scope of your claimable damages, and determine the likelihood of success with your premises liability claim. California state law is quite clear on the legal duties of private property owners, and Easton & Easton can help you recover when a property owner has failed to meet these duties.
How Does a Premises Liability Claim Work?
A premises liability claim is a form of personal injury claim filed in civil court. The plaintiff, or the injured party claiming damages, creates their claim by identifying the defendant, or party responsible for the injury in question. Their initial Complaint must explain the plaintiff’s claim in full, including their reasoning for assigning liability to the defendant, available evidence, and proof of damages. At this point, there are several possible outcomes.
After the plaintiff and their Huntington Beach personal injury lawyer file their Complaint with the local courthouse, the defendant will have an opportunity to answer. The defendant may accept liability and agree to settlement negotiations or deny liability and demand a trial. The former is typically the swiftest route to resolution for all parties involved in a premises liability claim. However, if the defendant contests liability, disputes their responsibility for certain damages, or otherwise disagrees with elements of the plaintiff’s Complaint, the parties must either negotiate a settlement or proceed to a trial.
Proving Premises Liability
In any personal injury claim, the plaintiff must establish the defendant was negligent in some way that directly caused the plaintiff’s claimed damages. California state law requires property owners to take reasonable steps to ensure their properties are as safe as possible for lawful visitors. “Lawful” is an important distinction as California state law does not provide legal protection for trespassers, burglars, or intruders who do not have permission to enter a property. For example, suppose a person breaks into a private residence with the intent to burglarize the property and falls down an unmarked flight of broken stairs. In that case, they will not have legal grounds for a premises liability claim since they were not lawfully present on the property.
Lawful visitors include individuals invited onto the property for the property owner’s own purposes. These invitees can include friends, relatives, and neighbors visiting for social reasons. Lawful visitors may also include people visiting the property for their own purposes with the owner’s express or implied permission to enter the property. These licensees often include mail carriers, utility workers, or contractors.
To succeed with a premises liability claim, the plaintiff must prove they were lawfully present on the property where the injury occurred. Next, they must show that the dangerous element responsible for their injury was a foreseeable hazard and that the property owner failed to take reasonable steps to correct the problem. Finally, it’s important to prove that the property owner has the knowledge of the hazard and the opportunity to fix it prior to the injury taking place. Plaintiffs must show that if they had taken more immediate action, the injury could have been avoided.
Possible Recovery from a Successful Premises Liability Claim
Your Huntington Beach premises liability attorney can help you recover any and all losses resulting from your experience. Like most personal injury claims, premises liability claims allow plaintiffs to claim compensatory damages for direct expenses incurred from the negligence of other parties:
- If a plaintiff suffered physical injury, they can claim the cost of treatment as well as expected future medical costs related to their injury.
- When plaintiffs’ injuries force them to miss work, they may claim lost income during recovery as well as lost future earnings if their injuries leave them unable to work in the future.
- An injury from a premises liability incident can be incredibly painful or even result in trauma and emotional distress if it results in a permanent injury. California state law allows personal injury claimants to receive compensation for pain and suffering in proportion to their other damages.
In most premises liability claims, the plaintiff and the defendant property owner will settle the claim privately. However, if the defendant contests liability, the case could proceed to litigation, which will cost much more money and a great deal more time than settlement for all parties involved.
Find Your Legal Team Now
Easton & Easton have successfully handled many difficult premises liability claims for Huntington Beach clients. We understand the complexities these cases often entail and how to maximize our clients’ recoveries. If you believe a recent injury occurred due to a property owner’s failure to address a preventable safety hazard, contact Easton & Easton to discuss your options with an experienced and reliable Huntington Beach premises liability lawyer.
Fall From Ladder Placed On Scaffolding By Our Client
Easton & Easton recently acquired $2,000,000 for a client who fell from a 2 story scaffolding while assisting the HOA President in trying to remove eaves on the second story of a townhome façade. The HOA President had negligently erected the scaffolding, but the Defendants contended that our client had negligently brought a ladder to the top of the scaffold and was working on the ladder when he fell. The Defendants also argued that our client had actually climbed onto the roof of the building and become dizzy before he fell, such that they believed he was 100% liable for his own injuries, regardless of whether he fell from the roof or the ladder he negligently brought on top of the scaffold.
In the litigation process, we discovered that the HOA had no workers compensation insurance and that the HOA President did not have a contractor’s license for this kind of work. Because work on a scaffold requires a contractor’s license, we used regulations under the Labor Code to show that our client was technically an “employee” of the HOA at the time of his injury, such that this was actually an employment-related injury. However, because the HOA had no workers compensation insurance to pay for employee injuries, this employment-related injury was therefore presumed to result from employer negligence under the Labor Code. Additionally, we showed that these laws prevented the employer from claiming any comparative negligence, assumption of the risk, or co-employee negligence defenses that they would have used to shift the blame to our client, thereby essentially making the HOA strictly liable for our client’s injuries, which included multiple skull fractures and a traumatic brain injury. Through this intricate strategy of legal of reasoning, we convinced the HOA’s insurance carrier of their liability in this matter, even if our client had been on the roof or a ladder on the scaffolding when he fell, such that they paid their full $2,000,000 policy limits.
Huntington Beach Premises Liability Law Resources
Huntington Beach Premises Liability Law Resources
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Easton & Easton has been recognized by TopVerdict.com Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlement in Los Angeles for 2025, for the case Bicyclist v. Inattentive Driver — the fifth time the firm has appeared on a TopVerdict list across nine years, and a recognition that arrives in the firm’s 35th anniversary year.
The superior client service Easton & Easton provides has earned the firm an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen anew each year since 2014 by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers as one of the "Best Law Firms" for the Southern California Metro Area.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen by OC Register Voters as "The Best Law Firm in Orange County” each year since voting began in 2022.
Doug, Brian, and Matt Easton have all been selected as Top 100 Trial Lawyers for California by the National Trial Lawyers — a membership organization limited to less than 1% of attorneys.
Doug, Brian, Matt, Travis and Gabe have each been selected to "Best Lawyers" for Plaintiff's Personal Injury Litigation. Best Lawyers selects the Top 5% of attorneys based on peer voting and client reviews.
We were recently honored for our efforts in securing a $32,000,000 settlement for our client, which was selected as the #1 Bicycle Accident Settlement in California in 2024 by TopVerdict.com.
Easton & Easton was named a Tier 1 firm in Southern California by U.S. News & World Report — the highest ranking a law firm can achieve. Selection is based on client feedback, peer reputation, and professional excellence. When independent evaluators rank the best, we're at the top.
Travis Easton, Gabe Mendoza, Brenda Kocaj, and Alexandro Garza were selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars — honoring the top 2.5% of attorneys 40 or younger in California.
Easton & Easton was voted "Best Personal Injury Law Firm in Orange County" by readers of the Los Angeles Times in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Three years in a row — chosen by the people we serve
Doug, Brian, and Matt Easton were once again selected to Super Lawyers — a distinction earned by only 5% of California attorneys. Selection is based on peer nominations, independent research, and professional achievement. When you hire Easton & Easton, you're hiring attorneys in the top 5%.
Easton & Easton was recently honored for securing a $26,000,000 settlement for our client, which was selected as a Top 10 Personal Injury Settlement in California in 2023 by TopVerdict.com.
Easton & Easton received the "People Love Us On Yelp" award in 2016 due to exceptional client satisfaction reviews.Our clients don't just hire us — they recommend us.
Easton & Easton was recently honored for securing a $32,000,000 settlement for our client, which was selected as one of the Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in the entire United States in 2024 by TopVerdict.com.
Brian, Matt, and Travis Easton are lifetime members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum — a distinction held by less than 1% of U.S. attorneys. Membership requires securing a verdict or settlement of $2 million or more. When you hire Easton & Easton, you're hiring proven results - because Results Matter.
Doug Easton has held the "AV Preeminent" Rating for over 30 years, and Matt Easton received this prestigious distinction in 2015. The AV Preeminent rating is the highest possible rating for both legal ability and ethical standards, based on the legal profession's oldest peer review rating system — dating back to 1887. When your peers have trusted your ability and integrity for over three decades, that says everything.
We were recently honored for securing a $26,000,000 settlement for our client, which was selected as a the #1 Personal Injury Settlement in Los Angeles County in 2023 by TopVerdict.com.
Brian Easton was selected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 2015. ABOTA is one of the most premier associations of trial attorneys and judges, requiring a proven track record of jury trials as lead counsel and approval by a majority vote of the ABOTA board. Membership isn't given — it's earned in the courtroom.
Travis Easton, Gabe Mendoza, and Brenda Kocaj were selected to the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 — an invitation-only honor recognizing the nation's top young trial attorneys. At Easton & Easton, experience and ambition work side by side.
Easton & Easton was honored for securing a $20,000,000 settlement for our client, which was selected as one of the Top 10 Personal Injury Settlements in the entire United States in 2019 by TopVerdict.com.
Both Doug and Matt Easton have been selected as Top Personal Injury Attorneys by Avvo with scores of 10 out of 10 — based on skill, experience, results, peer evaluations, and client reviews. A perfect score. No room for higher.
Easton & Easton was honored to have been chosen by the LA Times Reader's Choice Poll as "The Best Personal Injury Law Firm in Orange County" for 2018-2020 (each year the voting took place).
We were recently honored for our efforts in securing a $1,850,000 verdict for a client, which was selected as one of the Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in California in 2016 by TopVerdict.com.
Awards/recognitions noted are from organizations recognized within the legal profession as bona fide.
No purchase was required for selection. Selection methodologies available upon request.
“We look for the human story behind every injury or wrongful death. We prepare our cases for trial; reaching out to the jury with the most compelling evidence possible for the best verdict possible. Insurance companies know this and come to the table prepared to negotiate in good faith. Call us to see how we can turn your story into fair compensation.”
Partner W. Douglas Easton
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