In Baldwin, many negligent security cases we review involve situations where the “normal” level of activity on a property makes certain risks foreseeable. Common examples include:
- Apartment and townhouse entry areas: broken or poorly maintained access controls, doors that don’t latch, inadequate lighting along walkways, or camera coverage that doesn’t reach key approaches.
- Parking lots and shared drives: poor sightlines, limited supervision, malfunctioning lighting, or delays in responding to reported threats.
- Businesses serving commuters: incidents near entrances, loading areas, or after-hours conditions where staff presence and response procedures may not match the level of risk.
These cases often turn on one question: What did the property know (or should have known), and what did it do about it?


