Understanding who could be held liable after a premises liability incident occurs can be challenging. Typically, these lawsuits seek to hold property owners directly responsible for their negligence. While the owner of the property may seem like the obvious entity to hold responsible, it may not always be so cut and dry.
There may be other liable parties responsible in the aftermath of a premises liability incident. For example, if another individual or company leases land from a property owner, the lease may clearly state that the leaseholder takes over responsibility for the property, including inspection and maintenance. This would mean that the leaseholder would be primarily responsible for paying compensation to any injury victim.
In many cases, a piece of property is operated by another individual or entity entirely. For example, let us imagine a grocery store where one entity owns the entire property, the grocery store operates the physical building, and a third party operates the parking lot. Determining liability when an incident occurs can be tough, and we strongly encourage you to work with a skilled premises liability attorney in Denver as soon as you sustain an injury.