In addition, the law of Premises Liability distinguishes between different types of people who may be on a property, and the status of that person may determine liability. In Illinois, the law distinguishes between invitees or licensees and trespassers.
An invitee or licensee may be customers in a store, ticket-holders for an event, firemen, policemen, job applicants, baby-sitters, houseguests, delivery persons, and so on. In other words, they are individuals who are allowed or invited to come onto property for a specific purpose that benefits the landowner.
A trespasser, however, is not invited or welcome by the landowner. A trespasser may be a criminal who has entered property for an unlawful purpose, or it may simply be someone who enters onto private property for some other reason.
A landowner owes a duty of care to invitees or licensees to:
Be aware of any conditions that might pose an unreasonable risk of harm to the invitee or licensee
Anticipate that the invitee or licensee may not be able to discover or realize the risk of harm
Exercise reasonable care in preventing the invitee or licensee from suffering the harm