In Corte Madera, many incidents happen in settings where people come and go: multi-unit residential properties, retail and service businesses, shared walkways, parking areas, and transit-adjacent routes. Even when the attacker is a third party, liability can still be based on whether the property owner or business acted reasonably to prevent foreseeable harm.
Common local patterns we see in Marin County cases include:
- Parking and after-hours access issues near businesses and residential entrances
- Lighting and visibility problems that make it easier for someone to approach, hide, or flee
- Breakdowns in access control (doors left unlatched, malfunctioning entry systems, missing procedures)
- Security staffing or response delays during peak visitor/commuter windows
The key question is whether the risk was foreseeable and the safeguards were reasonable—not whether a property can guarantee absolute safety.


