Callahan & Blaine, PC is a Southern California litigation firm founded in 1984 with 29 senior trial attorneys who handle complex personal injury premises liability cases throughout Orange County and beyond. Our attorneys carry a minimum of 8 years of litigation experience, and most carry between 15 and 30 years. We have secured record-breaking results for injured clients, including a $50 million personal injury settlement recognized as the largest of its kind in United States history and a $934 million jury verdict that remains the largest in Orange County history.
What Is Premises Liability in California?
Premises liability is the area of law that holds property owners, managers, landlords, and occupiers legally responsible when a dangerous condition on their property causes injury to another person. Under California Civil Code Section 1714, property owners owe a duty of reasonable care to those who enter their property. When that duty is breached and someone is hurt as a result, the injured party may have grounds to pursue financial compensation.
What Conditions Give Rise to a Claim
Many types of hazardous conditions can support a premises liability claim. The following are among the most common situations we handle for Orange County clients:
- Slip and fall accidents: Wet floors, uneven pavement, broken stairs, and poorly maintained walkways frequently cause serious injuries, particularly for older adults. According to the CDC’s fall injury data, each year, approximately 3 million emergency department visits among older adults alone are due to fall injuries.
- Negligent security: Property owners who fail to provide adequate lighting or security measures may be liable when criminal acts harm visitors on the premises.
- Dog bites: California follows a strict-liability standard for dog-bite injuries, meaning an owner can be held responsible regardless of whether the dog had a history of aggression.
- Swimming pool accidents: Unsecured or poorly maintained pools are a significant source of drowning and injury liability in Southern California.
- Structural defects: Collapsed balconies, defective railings, and deteriorating building materials can cause catastrophic harm.
Every premises liability case turns on whether the property owner knew or reasonably should have known about the hazardous condition and failed to address it. Property owners do not automatically become liable for every accident on their land, but when they ignore reported hazards, delay repairs, or fail to warn visitors, they create legal exposure that our attorneys are prepared to pursue.
Understanding Duty of Care in California
California applies a single standard of reasonable care to most premises liability cases, regardless of whether the injured person was invited onto the property as a customer, a guest, or another type of visitor. This approach, established in Rowland v. Christian (1968), replaced the older common-law categories of invitee, licensee, and trespasser with a more flexible analysis that considers the foreseeability of harm, the burden of preventing it, and the relationship between the parties.
How Courts Evaluate Liability
A California court evaluating a premises liability case will examine several factors, including how long the dangerous condition existed, whether regular inspections were conducted, whether the hazard was visible and avoidable, and whether the property owner took any steps to warn visitors. These factors determine whether the owner exercised the level of care a reasonable person would have exercised under the same circumstances.
Our attorneys build cases around documentary evidence, inspection records, surveillance footage, and expert testimony to establish that the owner’s conduct fell short of that standard. It is worth noting that the assumption-of-risk defense to premises liability is a tactic defendants frequently raise, and our team is experienced in countering it.
Common Injuries in Orange County Premises Liability Cases
The injuries that result from dangerous property conditions range from temporary and inconvenient to devastating and permanent. Slip and fall accidents cause fractures, soft tissue tears, and traumatic brain injuries that require surgery and lengthy rehabilitation. Falls from heights or structural collapses often cause spinal cord injuries that lead to partial or complete paralysis. Pool accidents can result in hypoxic brain damage or wrongful death. Dog attacks frequently cause disfiguring facial injuries and lasting psychological trauma.
The financial impact of these injuries is substantial. Medical treatment, adaptive equipment, home modifications, and lost wages quickly compound, and victims often face a lifetime of ongoing care costs. Our attorneys account for both present and future losses when calculating the full scope of damages to pursue in your case.
Why Choose Callahan & Blaine, PC to Handle Your Litigation Matter?
Since 1984, Callahan & Blaine, PC has represented Orange County injury victims against property owners, their insurers, and their legal teams. Our 29 senior trial attorneys bring decades of courtroom experience to every case and are prepared to litigate through trial when a fair resolution cannot be reached through negotiation.
Managing Partner Edward Susolik is recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 attorneys in Southern California and has personally managed more than 1,500 mediations. Our record of eight and nine-figure outcomes reflects our commitment to pursuing the full value of each client’s claim, not a quick settlement that primarily benefits the opposing side.
Contact Callahan & Blaine to Submit Your Potential Case
If you or someone in your household has been injured because a property owner failed to maintain safe conditions, time matters. California’s statute of limitations for premises liability claims is generally two years from the date of injury, and evidence such as surveillance footage and maintenance records can disappear quickly. The sooner our team can evaluate your circumstances, the stronger the position we can build on your behalf.
Callahan & Blaine, PC represents injured clients throughout Orange County and the surrounding areas. To tell us about what happened and learn whether you have a viable premises liability claim, please contact our legal team. We will review the details and respond promptly.
