Negligent security cases generally arise when a property owner or business failed to take reasonable steps to protect people from foreseeable harm.
In Sandy, common real-world scenarios include:
- Parking lot incidents after evening shifts or weekend shopping—especially where lighting, access control, or supervision is inadequate.
- Assaults in apartment or rental common areas, like entryways, stairwells, and poorly monitored corridors.
- Visitor-related risks around businesses that see seasonal crowds—where staff response and safety procedures don’t keep up with demand.
- Incidents involving blocked or malfunctioning security features, such as camera coverage gaps, nonfunctioning entry systems, or broken locks.
A key point: the claim is not that a property can guarantee safety. It’s that the property’s security choices must be reasonable for the level of risk the owner knew—or should have known—was present.


