Other Personal Injuries: Premises Liability
Because Arkansas adheres to the legal doctrine of "caveat lessee," landlords in Arkansas have no duty to provide repairs for rented or leased premises. For this reason, many believe that a landlord in Arkansas cannot be held liable when a person is injured in an apartment. This is not necessarily the case.
A landlord can be held liable for failure to repair a latent defect. A latent defect is a defect that existed before the lease was signed, and a defect that could not have been discovered through reasonable diligence. Furthermore, even though a landlord has no duty to repair leased or rented premises, a landlord, who agrees to make repairs, can be held liable if those repairs are performed negligently.
Arkansas Premises Liability Cases
For example, a renter complained of water leaks in his apartment. Rather than repairing the plumbing, the landlord merely painted the water spots (negligent repair). A kitchen cabinet eventually fell on the tenant injuring her severely. Investigation of the fallen cabinet revealed that the screws had not been mounted into the wall studs, but only into the sheet rock (a latent defect). The attorneys at the Law Offices of Peter Miller were, therefore, able to assert liability for the injuries on the landlord.
Attorneys at the Law Offices of Peter Miller are highly experienced in handling all types of injury cases, especially cases with serious or catastrophic injuries and those involving loss of life. With a staff of 23 people including, 4 attorneys and 4 claims managers, cases are handled with a thoroughness and expertise not available to smaller law firms. The prestige and reputation of the firm works to the clients’ benefit and as a result, most cases are resolved or settled before trial.
Contact The Law Offices of Peter Miller
If you or a loved one has been a victim of an accident involving negligence of a property owner or premises liability, the Law Offices of Peter Miller is ready to assist you where and when you need it the most. Contact us for a free consultation. You pay no fee until you collect.