Congratulations to our Michael Haggard and Pedro Echarte for obtaining a $5.5 Million settlement in a negligent security wrongful death case.
This case involved a young man who died after being shot in an attempted armed robbery while using an ATM. We brought the lawsuit on behalf of the victim’s estate against the operator of the ATM, alleging that the security measures in place on the night of the incident were inadequate in light of the prior history of crime on the premises and in the surrounding area.
According to a report by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, employees at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were “tragically unprepared” to best protect students on the day of the mass shooting that killed 17 people and injured 17 others. The newspapers reports that the lack of preparation was due to “inadequate training and unclear procedures in the school district.”
The lack of a coherent, uniform policy is one of the major failures identified by a state commission investigating the Feb. 14 massacre.
The paper learned that district officials were unsure as to whether a “Code Red” meant an “active killer”. It does not.
The Haggard Law Firm has been recognized by TopVerdict for notable results in 2017. TopVerdict recognizes U.S. law firms and attorneys who have obtained one of the highest jury verdicts, settlements, court or arbitration awards in the Nation or an individual State, in a particular area of law, and year
The $12 million verdict obtained by Haggard Law in Machado v Waves of Hialeah was named by TopVerdict as the number one inadequate security (negligent security) verdict and third highest premises liability verdict in Florida in 2017. The negligent security, wrongful death case was litigated by our Christopher Marlowe, Jason Brenner, James Blecke and co-counsel Alexis Izquierdo, ESQ.
This is the second straight year Haggard Law has earned the #1 Inadequate Security verdict recognition. In 2016, Brenner and trial attorney Douglas McCarron were recognized for the $1.7 million verdict obtained in Navas V Regal Entertainment Group. That case involved injuries suffered by a Monica Navas after moviegoers trampled her while trying to frantically escape a theater after a suspicious person started a fight days after the Aurora Colorado movie theater mass shooting.
Christopher Marlowe and trial attorney Pedro Echarte were the litigators of the #3 ranked inadequate security case on the 2017 list. The pair delivered a $1 million result in Gilbert v. Cryptical Development LLC.
MEDIA CONFERENCE MONDAY 1:30PM- Security Video Provided
Local Family of Woman Beaten to Death During Sexual Assault Say Hotel Could Have Prevented Her Murder.
A Miami-Dade County Jury Agreed, Just Ordered Hotel to Pay Parents $12 Million.
Hialeah, FL – Late Friday a Miami Dade County jury awarded the parents of Yaimi Guevara Machado $12 million following a five day trial that originated from a wrongful death negligent security lawsuit filed against the Chesapeake Motel.
On April 10, 2016, the 30-year-old Machado was locked out of her hotel room only wearing a bra and jeans when she asked the staff of the Hialeah motel for help (video/audio available). They refused. Moments later, police say, she was beaten to death by Ronald Lopez Andrade who has been charged with first degree murder.
Machado’s family filed the lawsuit against the owners of the Chesapeake Motel because they believe its staff had several opportunities to prevent the tragedy. Along with not assisting Machado when she approached them, the hotel’s staff:
Allowed Andrade, who was not a hotel guest, to linger on the property
sold Andrade alcohol (video/audio available)
fielded a request from the inebriated Andrade for help to find a prostitute (video/audio available)
did not kick Andrade off property when he sought sexual favors from a housekeeper
Machado’s parents, Julia Machado and Rafael Guevara, hope their successful lawsuit sends a message to budget motels to follow the best practices in the lodging industry to provide the security that will help prevent tragedies like these from destroying another family.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Christopher Marlowe and Jason Brenner were joined by co-counsel, Alexis Izquierdo , in litigating this case.
Over the last decade The Haggard law Firm has handled hundreds of premises liability / negligent security cases, delivering more than $300 million in verdicts and settlement in that time.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Todd Michaels was a featured speaker yesterday at the ASIS International’s 2017 63rd Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Dallas. ASIS is a global community of security practitioners that represent every security-based industry in the public and private sectors.
Michaels seminar, “How to Avoid a $100,000,000 Verdict Against Your Business”, was focused on helping security professionals understand how a security plan will not only prevent incidents but also provide a framework for defending a business’s reasonable actions. Michaels shared his insight on how to avoid a catastrophic lawsuit and used a variety of real-world examples of some of the many notable negligent security case results successfully litigated by The Haggard Law Firm.
This week, The Haggard Law Firm’s Todd Michaels will deliver two presentations about negligent security litigation during the 62nd Annual ASIS International Conference in Orlando.
ASIS International is a global community of security practitioners, each of whom has a role in the protection of assets – people, property, and/or information. The conference is the organization’s largest event of the year. More than 20,000 security professionals from around the globe are expected to attend.
The presentations are titled How to Avoid a Million Dollar Verdict Against Your Business and Duty and Consequence.
ASIS members represent virtually every industry in the public and private sectors, and organizations of all sizes. From entry-level managers to CSOs to CEOs, from security veterans to consultants and those transitioning from law enforcement or the military, the ASIS community is global and diverse. More than 20,000 industry professionals are expected to attend the conference.
The Haggard Law Firm has litigated more than 155 negligent security cases since 2007, delivering more than $345 million in verdicts and settlements in those cases.
rs represent virtually every industry in the public and private sectors, and organizations of all sizes. From entry-level managers to CSOs to CEOs, from security veterans to consultants and those transitioning from law enforcement or the military, the ASIS community is global and diverse. More than 20,000 industry professionals are expected to attend the conference.
