Jacobs Legal Secures Multi-Million Dollar Verdict in a Miami Negligent Security Claim

On November 16th, 2018, a Miami-Dade County jury awarded an injured victim $8.7 million in a premises liability lawsuit. As reported by the Miami Herald, the case, Christopher Nealy v Cosmic Corp, centered around a 2011 shooting that took place at the Coco Lounge in the Northwest part of the city. The plaintiff was represented by Miami negligent security attorney Bruce Jacobs.

Background: A Club Promoter Was Hit Three Times in a Nightclub Shooting 

In the early morning hours of December 26th, 2011, Christopher Nealy, a South Florida nightclub promoter, was shot multiple times while at the Coco Lounge. Mr. Nearly worked as a club promoter for the establishment—however, on the night of the shooting, he was attending the venue as a guest and was not actually on the job.

In the late evening hours, a fight broke out between people inside the club. Mr. Neary attempted to help protect people and break up the altercation. As part of their effort to control the situation, the security guards working at Coco’s Lounge pushed a large group of people outside of the doors and into the parking lot. It was there that the gunfire erupted and Mr. Nealy was hit by three bullets. 

Premises Liability Lawsuit: Coco’s Lounge Failed to Provide Adequate Security 

Mr. Nealy filed a premises liability claim against the nightclub. In his lawsuit, Mr. Nealy alleged that the club owners were well aware of the security problems at the venue. In fact, the club had longstanding security and safety problems and there had been many different incidents. For example, seven shootings occurred at or in the immediate vicinity of the Coco Lounge in recent years. With this clear history of violence and danger, our Miami negligent security lawyer highlighted several failures in the Miami-Dade County court, including:

• The total absence of metal detectors at the Coco Lounge;
• The lack of training for security guards;
• That several of security personnel had felony criminal records; and
• The fact that the club lacked a system for screening the perimeter for suspicious behavior.

After reviewing all of the evidence presented by both parties, a Miami-Dade County jury found Coco Lounge legally liable for our client’s injuries. Mr. Nealy was hospitalized for 11 days and require considerable physical therapy and counseling to recover from the physical and mental toll of the shooting. He was awarded financial compensation for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering with the 18th highest settlement by a jury verdict in all of Florida and #1 in the area of Premise Liability.

Call Our Miami Negligent Security Attorneys Today 

At Jacobs Legal, PLLC, our Florida premises liability attorney has the skills, knowledge, and legal experience needed to handle all types of inadequate security cases. If you or someone you know was hurt because a business or property owner failed to provide proper security, we are here to help. For a free review of your case, please contact our law firm today by calling 305-358-7991. With a law office in Miami, we handle premises liability cases throughout the region.

Resource:

account.miamiherald.com/paywall/stop?resume=221958305