Can You Sue a Hotel for Negligent Security in Las Vegas?

Key Takeaways

• Las Vegas hotels can be held liable for negligent security when they fail to take reasonable steps to protect guests from foreseeable crimes, assaults, robberies, or other dangerous incidents on their property.
• Successful negligent security claims often depend on proving that the hotel knew or should have known about a security risk and failed to provide adequate protection, such as security personnel, surveillance cameras, lighting, or access controls.
• Strong evidence, including surveillance footage, incident reports, witness statements, security logs, and records of prior criminal activity, can be critical to establishing liability and maximizing compensation.
• Injured guests should act quickly after an incident because Nevada generally imposes a 2-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims, and important evidence, such as security footage, may be deleted within days if it is not preserved.

Las Vegas hotels attract millions of visitors every year, and most guests expect to feel safe when they check in. But when hotels cut corners on security, the consequences can be devastating. Assaults, robberies, and other violent crimes on hotel property can leave guests with serious injuries, emotional trauma, and financial losses that follow them long after they check out.

At Beal & Shirts, your No BS Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers, we help injured hotel guests in Las Vegas hold negligent properties accountable and pursue the full compensation they deserve. Call us at 702-357-4498 for a free consultation and find out whether you have a valid negligent security claim.

What Is Negligent Security?

Negligent security is a form of premises liability that holds property owners legally responsible when a failure to provide adequate security allows a foreseeable crime or attack to occur on their property.

Under Nevada law, hotel and casino owners have a legal duty to take reasonable precautions to protect guests from foreseeable risks. When a property owner failed to meet that duty and a guest was harmed as a result, the hotel may be held liable for the resulting injuries and financial losses.

When a Hotel May Be Held Liable

A Las Vegas hotel may be held liable when it knew or should have known about security risks on its property and failed to take reasonable steps to address them. This includes situations in which the hotel lacked adequate security guards, failed to maintain operational security cameras, or allowed unauthorized access to guest areas.

What Must You Prove in a Las Vegas Negligent Security Claim?

Proving a negligent security claim requires establishing specific legal elements with solid evidence. Each element must be supported for a successful personal injury lawsuit against the hotel.

The Hotel Owed You a Duty of Care

Hotels in Nevada have a legal duty to provide a reasonably safe environment for guests throughout the entire property, including guest rooms, hallways, parking garages, casino floors, and all common areas.

The Hotel Failed to Provide Reasonable Security

You must show the hotel failed to implement security measures that a reasonably careful property owner would have put in place given the known risks at the property, such as failing to deploy security guards or maintain functioning surveillance systems.

The Security Failure Caused Your Injuries

The hotel's insufficient security must be the direct cause of the incident that led to your injuries. You must connect the specific security failure to the attack or incident that caused your harm, not just show that poor security existed in general.

Common Examples of Negligent Security at Las Vegas Hotels

Negligent security incidents at Las Vegas properties take many forms.

Here are the most common examples we handle in these cases:

• Assaults and physical attacks: Physical attacks in hallways, elevators, or common areas that could have been prevented with adequate security patrols or functioning surveillance cameras are among the most common bases for a negligent security claim.
• Robberies and theft-related incidents: Armed robberies in areas where the hotel knew criminal activity had occurred before and failed to increase security measures may support a premises liability claim.
• Parking garage and parking lot crimes: Parking structures at Las Vegas hotels are frequent sites of violent crime due to poor lighting, limited surveillance, and infrequent security patrols.
• Unauthorized access to guest rooms: When hotel employees fail to secure key card systems or allow unauthorized individuals into secure areas, the hotel may face liability for any resulting harm to guests.
• Inadequate lighting or surveillance systems: Non-functioning security cameras and poorly lit areas create conditions where crimes are more likely to occur, and a hotel's failure to maintain these systems can support a negligent security case.

What Types of Evidence Can Help Prove Negligent Security?

Building a strong negligent security claim requires multiple types of evidence that together establish the hotel's failure to provide a safe environment.

Here are the most important points in these cases:

1. Surveillance footage: Video from the hotel's security cameras showing the incident and the presence or absence of security personnel is often the most powerful evidence and must be preserved immediately before it is overwritten.
2. Incident reports and security logs: Official incident reports and internal security logs documenting prior criminal activity help establish that the hotel knew about the security risk before your incident occurred.
3. Witness statements: Statements from other guests or hotel employees who witnessed the attack or observed the security conditions provide independent support for your claim.
4. Prior criminal activity at the property: Evidence that similar crimes occurred at the hotel before your incident is critical to showing the security risk was foreseeable and that stronger precautions were required.
5. Hotel policies and security procedures: Internal documents describing security protocols help clarify what the hotel was supposed to do and where it fell short of its own standards.

What Compensation Can Be Recovered in a Negligent Security Lawsuit?

Nevada law allows injured hotel guests to seek compensation for all losses caused by a hotel's failure to provide adequate security.

Some of the damages that may be available in your case include:

• Medical expenses: Compensation for emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, mental health treatment, and any future medical care your injuries require.
• Lost wages and future income losses: Compensation for income lost during recovery and any long-term reduction in earning capacity caused by permanent injuries.
• Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical pain and emotional suffering caused by the attack and resulting injuries.
• Emotional distress damages: Victims of violent crimes and sexual assaults often suffer severe psychological harm, including PTSD and anxiety, that are compensable as non-economic damages.
• Permanent disability and future care costs: When an incident results in a traumatic brain injury or permanent disability, compensation for future care costs and long-term quality-of-life impacts may also be available.

How Nevada's Comparative Negligence Law May Affect Your Claim

Nevada's comparative negligence rules apply to negligent security claims just as they do in other personal injury cases. Understanding how shared fault works helps protect your right to recover compensation even when the hotel tries to blame you.

Understanding Nevada's 51% Bar Rule

Nevada's modified comparative negligence rule bars recovery if you are found 51% or more at fault. If you are 50% or less at fault, you can still recover compensation, but your percentage of responsibility reduces it.

Common Defenses Hotels Raise

Hotels and their insurers use predictable defenses to reduce liability.

Here are the most common arguments raised against injured guests:

• Arguing that the criminal act was unforeseeable and not the hotel's legal responsibility
• Claiming you were in an area you should not have been, or acted recklessly
• Disputing the severity of your injuries or arguing they were caused by something else
• Arguing that the hotel's security measures were reasonable under the circumstances

How Shared Fault Can Affect Compensation

Every percentage of fault assigned to you reduces your recovery. Hotel insurance companies work hard to maximize fault assigned to injured guests, which is why having an experienced negligent security lawyer present your case is essential to protecting the full value of your claim.

What Should You Do After an Injury Caused by Hotel Negligent Security?

The steps you take immediately after a negligent security incident directly affect your ability to recover compensation. Acting quickly protects both your health and your legal claim.

Report the Incident Immediately

Report the incident to hotel management right away and request an official incident report before leaving the property. Get a copy or note the report number so your attorney can obtain it later.

Seek Medical Treatment

Seek medical attention immediately, even if injuries seem minor. Some injuries from violent incidents are not immediately apparent, and medical records created close to the incident date are essential to your personal injury claim.

Preserve Evidence and Documentation

Photograph the location, your visible injuries, and any conditions that contributed to the incident, such as poor lighting or absent security cameras, before the hotel makes changes to the area.

Avoid Speaking With Insurance Adjusters Alone

Do not give recorded statements, sign documents, or accept any settlement offer from the hotel or its insurer without first speaking with a Las Vegas negligent security lawyer.

Contact a Las Vegas Negligent Security Lawyer

Contact Beal & Shirts, your No BS Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers, as soon as possible. Early legal involvement allows us to send preservation demands, secure surveillance footage before it is deleted, and begin building your case while the evidence is still fresh. Call us at 702-357-4498.

How a Las Vegas Hotel Negligent Security Lawyer Can Help

Taking on a large Las Vegas hotel and its insurance company alone puts you at a serious disadvantage. No BS Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers handles every aspect of your negligent security case so you can focus on recovery.

Investigating the Incident

We conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, the location, the hotel's security history, and the conditions that enabled the crime.

Preserving Security Footage and Records

We send formal legal preservation demands immediately after being retained to make sure surveillance footage and security logs are preserved before they are deleted.

Identifying All Liable Parties

Negligent security cases sometimes involve more than one liable party, including hotel management and third-party security contractors. We identify every party whose negligence contributed to your injuries.

Negotiating With Hotel Insurance Companies

We handle all communications and negotiations with the hotel's insurance company and push back against lowball offers and unfair fault assignments on your behalf.

Pursuing Maximum Compensation

When hotel insurance companies refuse fair settlements, we take your negligent security case to trial in Nevada courts and fight for every dollar you are owed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Contact Our Las Vegas Negligent Security Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Las Vegas hotels have a legal duty to keep their guests safe, and when they fail that duty, they should be held fully accountable. At Beal & Shirts, your No BS Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers, we fight for injured hotel guests across Las Vegas and pursue the maximum compensation available under Nevada law.

Call us today at 702-357-4498 for a free consultation and let our legal team fight for you.