If you were assaulted, robbed, or attacked on someone else’s property in Las Vegas, the attorneys at Drummond Law Firm will fight to recover the compensation you deserve. Negligent security is a serious concern across Clark County, where casinos, hotels, and apartment complexes routinely fail to protect visitors from foreseeable crime.
If a property owner’s security failures contributed to your injuries, you may be entitled to damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Our attorneys handle negligent security cases throughout Las Vegas and offer a free consultation. Call (702) 366-9966 to get started.
Negligent Security Attorneys Serving Las Vegas
Drummond Law Firm represents negligent security victims across Las Vegas with direct, attorney-led legal representation from the moment you reach out. Every client works with a licensed attorney who evaluates the facts of your case and communicates directly with property owners and their insurers. From there, we build a strategy designed to hold negligent parties accountable.
We will never hand you off to a paralegal or case manager for the decisions that determine the outcome of your claim.
Las Vegas has an overall crime rate 44 percent higher than the national average. The properties where these crimes occur are controlled by some of the most well-resourced defendants in the country. Owners who profit from that foot traffic bear a legal responsibility to protect the people on their premises.
Attorney Craig Drummond won the landmark Humphries case at the Nevada Supreme Court, a decision that expanded the rights of crime victims in negligent security claims statewide. His military discipline and proven trial record set our firm apart when property owners and their corporate defense teams refuse to accept responsibility.
Without an Attorney vs. With Drummond Law Firm
Victims who hire an attorney recover significantly more than those who handle negligent security claims on their own. Research from the Insurance Research Council found that represented victims recovered approximately 3.5 times more than those without a lawyer.
| Without an Attorney | With Drummond Law Firm |
| Casino and hotel defense teams may pressure you into a quick, low settlement | Our attorneys negotiate from a position of strength backed by trial experience |
| The property owner’s insurers will work to shift blame onto you for the attack | Attorney Craig Drummond has taken cases to trial and will not back down |
| You bear the burden of proving foreseeability and gathering evidence alone | Our team works with security experts and investigators to build your case |
| You risk accepting far less than your case is worth | Our Reduced Fee Guarantee® ensures the attorney fee will not exceed your net recovery |
You deserve a legal team that fights for the full value of your claim, not one that allows a negligent property owner to dictate the outcome.
When the stakes are high, you need an attorney who’s already been tested under pressure.
Types of Cases We Handle in Las Vegas
Our firm handles negligent security cases arising from assaults, robberies, and violent attacks on commercial and residential property throughout Las Vegas and the surrounding area.
- Casino and Resort Assaults: Casino and resort violence accounts for a significant share of inadequate security claims in Nevada. Assaults in restrooms, stairwells, and hotel corridors often occur in areas where surveillance coverage has lapsed or security personnel are absent. Owners who generate revenue from millions of visitors each year owe those visitors a duty to maintain adequate protection.
- Parking Garage and Lot Attacks: Parking structures attached to casinos, hotels, and shopping centers are frequent sites of robbery, assault, and carjacking. These structures are often poorly lit, difficult to monitor, and lack the security presence needed to deter criminal activity.
- Nightclub and Bar Violence: Establishments that serve alcohol bear a heightened responsibility to maintain order. Inadequate door staff, failure to remove aggressive patrons, and lack of surveillance in high-risk areas are common failures that give rise to security negligence claims against Las Vegas nightlife venues.
- Apartment Complex Assaults: When residential properties lack basic security infrastructure and management ignores prior criminal activity, tenants and their guests face preventable harm. Landlords and property management companies can be held liable when those failures contribute to an assault.
How Nevada Law Affects Your Negligent Security Case
Nevada law requires property owners to protect visitors from foreseeable criminal acts on their premises. Under NRS 41.130, the state’s core premises liability statute, any owner whose negligence causes injury to a lawful visitor can be held liable for the resulting damages. This is the foundation of every negligent security claim filed in Nevada.
The level of protection you receive depends on your legal status when the incident occurred. Casino guests, hotel visitors, restaurant patrons, and retail customers are classified as invitees under Nevada law. Owners owe invitees the highest duty of care, which means they must actively inspect for dangers and take reasonable steps to prevent anticipated harm.
The Nevada Supreme Court reinforced this standard in Foster v. Costco Wholesale Corp., holding that owners cannot simply claim they were unaware of a hazard that existed on their premises.
Nevada follows a modified comparative negligence rule under NRS 41.141. If a jury determines that your fault exceeds 50 percent, you are barred from recovering any damages. Even partial fault reduces your award. If you are found 20 percent at fault on a $500,000 claim, the court reduces your total recovery to $400,000 after deducting your share.
Where Do Negligent Security Incidents Happen in Las Vegas?
Negligent security incidents occur wherever owners fail to address known risks of crime on their properties. In Las Vegas, those risks are amplified by a combination of round-the-clock tourism, widespread alcohol service, and high-density venues that draw millions of visitors each year.
Clark County recorded 2,815 violent crimes in 2024, and crime rates near the Strip and downtown corridor remain well above city averages. The Cultural Corridor reports violent crime at 640 percent above the Las Vegas average, and West Las Vegas runs 473 percent higher. These numbers reflect conditions that owners and operators in high-traffic areas already know about or should know about.
Over 40 million tourists visit Las Vegas each year, many of them unfamiliar with their surroundings and more vulnerable to crime as a result. The businesses that profit from that volume bear a legal obligation to invest in the security infrastructure their properties require. When they cut corners to protect their bottom line, visitors pay the price.
Who Can Be Held Liable for Negligent Security in Nevada?
Property owners bear primary liability for negligent security, but they are not always the only party responsible for your injuries. Depending on how security was managed at the property, multiple defendants may share fault.
- Property Owners and Operators: The owner or operator of the property where the incident occurred is the most common defendant in a negligent security claim. Under NRS 651.015, hotel and casino operators have a specific statutory obligation to exercise due care for the safety of their patrons. When they underfund security, ignore prior incidents, or fail to maintain basic safety infrastructure, they become liable for the harm that follows.
- Third-Party Security Contractors: Many owners hire outside companies to provide patrols, surveillance monitoring, and emergency response. If those guards were inadequately trained, absent from their posts, or negligent in their duties, both the contractor and the hiring party may be held responsible.
- Event Organizers and Promoters: Concerts, festivals, and large-scale gatherings at Las Vegas venues require dedicated crowd management and security planning. When event promoters fail to arrange sufficient staffing, control crowd flow, or enforce safety policies, they can be liable for assaults and injuries that occur on site.
- Landlords and Property Management Companies: Residential managers who fail to maintain basic security infrastructure or respond to tenant complaints about safety concerns may be held liable when those failures contribute to an assault on a tenant or guest.
How Do You Prove a Negligent Security Claim?
You must prove the owner knew about a security risk and failed to take reasonable steps to address it. The Humphries decision, which Drummond Law Firm litigated and won at the Nevada Supreme Court, reshaped how foreseeability is evaluated in negligent security cases across the state. That ruling expanded the rights of crime victims and remains the controlling standard today.
Prior crime reports, security staffing records, and surveillance footage are central forms of evidence in these claims. Expert testimony from security professionals can establish what a reasonable owner should have done under the same circumstances and how the defendant’s failures fell short of that standard.
Establish Foreseeability
Foreseeability is the cornerstone of every negligent security claim in Nevada. The owner must have known, or should have known, that criminal activity was a realistic risk on the premises. The Nevada Supreme Court in Humphries held that prior identical incidents are not required to establish foreseeability.
The relevant considerations are the location of the incident, the level of violence involved, and the security concerns raised by the circumstances. Courts also weigh whether similar wrongful acts had occurred on the property before.
This standard means a casino that has received complaints about aggressive patrons cannot claim an assault was unforeseeable simply because no prior assault involved the exact same type of conduct.
Show the Property Owner’s Breach
A breach occurs when the owner fails to meet the standard of care owed to visitors on the premises. Common breaches include broken or nonfunctional surveillance cameras, absent security guards during high-traffic hours, failure to repair locks or lighting in vulnerable areas, and ignoring staff complaints about unsafe conditions.
Maintenance logs, staffing schedules, and internal incident reports can reveal a pattern of ignored warnings. The gap between what the owner knew and what they chose to do about it is where breach is established.
Connect the Breach to Your Injuries
You must show that the owner’s security failure directly caused or contributed to the harm you suffered. Medical records linking your injuries to the specific incident establish the causation element, and your attorney will work with treating physicians to document the full scope of your physical and psychological harm.
The Humphries decision also confirmed that you do not need to sue the individual attacker in order to hold the owner liable. If adequate security would have prevented the attack or reduced its severity, the owner’s failure is the legal cause of your injuries.
The only Nevada personal injury firm with a federally trademarked Reduced Fee Guarantee.®
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Negligent Security Incident?
Nevada law allows negligent security victims to recover economic, non-economic, and punitive damages through a civil claim against the property owner, security contractor, or other liable parties. Economic damages cover medical treatment, therapy and counseling costs, lost wages from missed work, and any future care your recovery will require.
Non-economic damages account for the harm that does not carry a specific price tag but changes your life just as profoundly. Violent attacks on commercial property often leave lasting psychological trauma that disrupts sleep, damages relationships, and makes returning to everyday routines feel impossible. We understand how isolating that experience can be.
Nevada places no cap on non-economic damages in negligent security cases, so a jury is free to award the full amount it believes your suffering warrants.
Punitive damages may also apply when the owner acted with conscious disregard for the safety of people on the premises. If the evidence shows the owner knew about repeated security failures and chose not to act, the court may impose additional damages. These damages are designed to punish that conduct and deter similar behavior in the future.
What Should You Do After a Negligent Security Incident in Las Vegas?
Take these steps after a negligent security incident in Las Vegas to protect both your health and your legal rights. The aftermath of a violent attack can feel overwhelming, and we know that thinking about legal action during this time may be the last thing on your mind. Acting quickly protects your ability to hold the responsible parties accountable.
Call 911 and seek medical attention immediately, even if your injuries do not seem severe at first. Emergency room records create a medical timeline that connects your injuries to the incident and becomes foundational evidence in your claim. Ask for a copy of the police report before you leave the scene, as that document establishes an official record linking the crime to the property.
Surveillance footage from the property is the single most important piece of evidence in a negligent security case, and it may be overwritten within days if not preserved.
Contact a negligent security attorney as soon as possible so your legal team can send a preservation letter to the owner demanding that all footage, incident reports, and staffing records be retained. Waiting too long to act gives the owner time to destroy or lose the evidence your case depends on.
How Long Do You Have to File a Negligent Security Lawsuit in Nevada?
Nevada gives you two years from the date of your injury to file a negligent security lawsuit under NRS 11.190(4)(e). Once that deadline passes, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case regardless of how strong your evidence is.
Two years may sound like enough time, but these claims require obtaining police reports, consulting security experts, and building a case against well-funded defendants with experienced defense counsel. That process takes longer than most people expect.
Claims involving government-owned property follow a shorter timeline. Nevada law requires a formal Notice of Claim within 180 days of the incident before you can file a lawsuit against a government entity. Missing that administrative deadline permanently bars your case even if the two-year statute of limitations has not yet expired.
Contacting a negligent security lawyer in Las Vegas early gives your legal team the time it needs to investigate, document, and prepare your case before any deadline passes.
How Drummond Law Firm Can Help
Drummond Law Firm provides attorney-led representation for negligent security victims across Las Vegas and the greater Nevada area. Craig Drummond, a former U.S. Army Captain and Bronze Star recipient, brings more than 15 years of trial experience to every case his firm handles. His team has recovered tens of millions of dollars for clients across Nevada.
Our Reduced Fee Guarantee® ensures we will never take more than the client receives in a settlement. You will not pay a fee unless we win your case, so call the Captain today at (702) 366-9966 to schedule a free consultation.
Useful Resources
- What Is Negligent Security? Do I Have a Case?
- Negligent Security and Sexual Assault: Business Liability
- Injured by a Bouncer or Security at a Nightclub
- Bar Fight Injuries: Can You Sue the Bar?
- What To Do After an Assault at a Nightclub or Bar
- Apartment Complex Attacks: Landlord Liability
- Casino Security: What They Can Legally Do
