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Jacksonville Apartment Complex Settles for $3.6 Million in Negligent Security Wrongful Death Case

The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte and Michael Haggard, along with co-counsel Millicent Daniels from Batts-Daniels Law, have obtained a $3.6 Million settlement in a wrongful death negligent security case in Duval County, Florida. The young father killed had only recently moved into the apartment complex where he was shot. The property had an extensive history of prior crime.

Attorney Pedro Echarte Photo
The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte
Attorney Michael Haggard Photo
Managing Partner Michael Haggard

It was December 20, 2017 when DeAngelo Tillie was shot and killed while inside his apartment unit at the Camelot Gardens Apartments. Shortly before the shooting, Mr. Tillie’s minor daughter came to his apartment to spend the holidays with him. At approximately 3:30 p.m. that day, while his daughter was in the bedroom watching television and he was sitting on his sofa in the living room, two unknown assailants opened the door to his unit and shot him numerous times. At the time of the incident, the apartment complex was owned by Defendant Eagle Gardens of Jacksonville, LLC, and managed by Lohman Property MGMT.CO., LLC., which were related entities that were controlled by the same individual.

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$2 Million Settlement in Miami Gardens Gas Station Murder Case

The Haggard Law Firm’s Adam Finkel and Michael Haggard obtained a $2 Million settlement in a wrongful death negligent security case involving the murder of a teenager at a gas station.

Attorney Adam Finkel Photo
Trial lawyer Adam Finkel
Attorney Michael Haggard Photo
Managing Partner Michael Haggard

On October 26, 2019, Rodney Hinds, Jr. picked up snacks from a gas station in Miami Gardens, while On October 26, 2019, Rodney Hinds, Jr. picked up snacks from a gas station in Miami Gardens, while other friends filled the car with gas. After purchasing snacks and returning to the car, an unknown person approached the car and opened fire. Rodney was struck and died. He was only 17 years old. He is survived by his mother, Tina, and his father, Rodney Sr.

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$2.8 Million Settlement for Victim Hit By Car Following Fight at Billiard Hall

The Haggard Law Firm’s Douglas McCarron has obtained a $2.8 Million settlement in a negligent security catastrophic injury case against a billiards hall and shopping center.

As part of the terms of the settlement, the names of the parties involved must remain publicly confidential.

The victim, John Doe, was a customer at a billiards hall at the defendant’s shopping center. On the night of the incident, John Doe observed a man getting physical with his waitress.  Mr. Doe followed the man and waitress outside and asked the man to calm down. The man struck Mr. Doe in the head and a fight ensued.  Bouncers from the hall broke up the altercation within seconds and instructed the other man the leave.  Mr. Doe went back inside. 

Approximately 15 minutes later, Mr. Doe walked outside to wait for a taxi. Unbeknownst to Mr. Doe, the other man remained in the parking lot and was waiting. The other man pulled his truck out of its parking space and started to drive in the victim’s direction. As the truck got closer to Mr. Doe, the man accelerated and drove straight into Mr. Doe.  As a result of the impact, Mr. Doe was airlifted to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a de-gloving injury and an open proximal tibia shaft fracture.  A few days later, the decision was made to perform an above-knee amputation of Mr. Doe’s leg. 

Mr. Doe brought a negligent security case against the billiards hall and the shopping center owner for failing to provide security for its parking lot.  For years, the billiards hall had many issues with violence that often spilled out into the parking lot.  Despite multiple events, there was no manned security in the parking lot.  Instead, there were only bouncers focused on the inside of the business. 

The case settled for the billiard hall’s $300,000 policy limit and $2.5 million from the shopping center owner.

Attorney Douglas McCarron Photo
The Haggard Law Firm’s Douglas McCarron

$6 Million Settlement in Monroe County Wrongful Death and Personal Injury Case

The Haggard Law Firm’s Adam Finkel and Michael Haggard obtained a $6 Million policy limit, pre-suit settlement in a negligent security wrongful death and personal injury case, involving a shooting near a boat dock in the Florida Keys.


On Monday, June 15, 2020, Jose “Pepe” Clemente returned from a hard day’s work at sea onboard a fishing boat that docked in Safe Harbor – a property owned by the Bernstein Trust and operated by Fishbusterz, a local retail fish merchant. As was the custom, Pepe hung around after work to share a few drinks with friends and play dominoes.

That Monday, between 4 and 5:00 p.m., Pepe was hanging out near some lobster traps in the middle of the property, drinking vodka and socializing with other fishermen, including Iliecer “Amarillo” Noa. At one point, two unknown men (not fishermen) approached and yelled towards Amarillo about the whereabouts of another local fisherman. After Amarillo stated that he was unaware of the person’s whereabouts, an argument ensued. Gunshots followed, and Pepe was killed. Amarillo suffered severe injuries, as well, and was represented by The Mustell Law Firm as co-counsel.

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$4.2 Million Settlement in Wrongful Death Negligent Security Case

The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte and Co-Counsel Michael Flanagan of Flanagan & Bodenheimer have obtained a $4.2 Million settlement in a negligent security wrongful death case in Broward County, Florida.

Dwight Higgins

On December 8, 2018, Dwight Higgins was shot and killed at the Lauderhill Point Apartments (f/k/a Driftwood). That evening Mr. Higgins went to the apartment complex with a friend to visit his friend’s girlfriend. Sometime after they arrived, his friend left the complex and Mr. Higgins was outside in the common areas. Four armed assailants approached him in a robbery attempt. Mr. Higgins tried to run away from the assailants. The attackers began shooting at him while chasing Higgins throughout the complex. The 27-year old was shot and was later pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. 

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$2 Million Settlement in Negligent Security Case Against Security Company

29-Year-Old Kemoze Chambers was killed at an Orlando-area apartment complex

The Haggard Law Firm’s Adam Finkel and Michael Haggard have obtained a $ 2 Million policy limit settlement in a negligent security wrongful death case in central Florida.

Late in the evening of August 23, 2019, 29-year-old Kemoze Chambers was inside his apartment, in Orlando, Florida when an unknown person(s) broke inside and murdered him.

The Defendant in this case Asset Overwatch Services, was contracted to provide private security services to the apartment complex where Kemoze lived. Boasting as a premier private security firm in Florida, Asset Overwatch provided vehicle patrols during its nightly security duties and provided the property owners and managers with nightly shift reports detailing their observations and actions taken.

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Negligent Security Case: $3.85 Million Settlement

The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte and Michael Haggard have obtained a $3.85 Million settlement in a negligent security wrongful death case. The victim in this case was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting while entering an apartment complex.  

The name of the Plaintiff, Haggard Law’s client, is confidential. The Plaintiff was the Personal Representative of the victim’s estate, who brought the case on behalf of the victim’s two surviving parents.

This was a difficult liability case as the shooting was a drive-by and occurred on a public road.  Although the victim was entering the property where he lived when he was shot, the defendants were going to argue, inter alia, that the shooting was not preventable as it did not occur on the property.

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Statement on Parkland Mass Shooter Guilty Plea

A statement on the guilty plea by the Parkland Mass Shooter

Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting brings some peace to the families, friends, and our community impacted by the tragedy on Valentine’s Day 2018. This killer, and any person or entity that contributed to this tragedy by inaction or negligence, should suffer the maximum consequences allowable by the law.

The Haggard Law Firm will continue to support our clients the Olivers, Beigel Schulmans, and Lippel families as they press forward with their lives and passionate advocacy efforts. The epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings must be stopped.

While today’s hearing focused on the shooter, the names that truly matter are those of the 17 killed and 17 injured on what was supposed to be a normal school day.”

  • Michael Haggard on behalf of the entire Haggard Law Firm

Pictured: (Left to Right) Haggard Law Trial Lawyers Todd Michael and Michael Haggard and the parents of 17 year old Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver and Patricia Oliver (picture from 2018).

RESULT: $1 Million Settlement in Shooting Death of Innocent Bystander

The Haggard Law Firm’s Todd Michaels and Michael Haggard have earned a $1 Million policy limit settlement in wrongful death negligent security case of 30-year-old Omarie Stephens was shot and killed at the Lauderhill Mall on Easter Day of 2018.

After spending Easter morning with his family, he went to a car show in a park with his brother and friends. After the show, he went to a restaurant located in Lauderhill Mall to eat. When Omarie and his group arrived at the mall there was a large party going on in the parking lot. The car show had relocated to the mall, which was closed (except for a few tenants including the restaurant).

Video surveillance showed thousands of cars and people in the mall parking lot. Evidence also showed that people were drinking alcohol and doing drugs. The mall’s parking lot had basically turned into an open-air unsupervised night club.

Screen Shot from security video of the Lauderhill Mall Parking lot the night Mr. Stephens was shot and killed

The Mall had retained State Security to provide security. After the mall closed (other than the few late-night tenants) security was supposed to perform constant patrols in the lot and remove trespassers immediately. The evidence clearly showed that over a period of hours, revelers descended on the property, and security was nowhere to be found. They made no attempt to remove people from the property or to contact the police as they were ordered.

In a deposition, the security guard claimed that he encountered a police officer on the property and asked him for help as justification for why he decided not to call police. Police records and the surveillance video disapprove this. After being confronted with the evidence, the security guard admitted he had not come to the front of the mall during the three hour period that people were gathering at the property.

During the gathering, two men got into a fight leading to gunshots. Mr. Stevens, and innocent bystander, was shot and killed. Stephens survived by two minor daughters.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OTHER NOTABLE HAGGARD LAW FIRM NEGLIGENT SECURITY CASES

$1 Million Policy Settlement for Robbery Victim Shot 3 Times

The Haggard Law Firm’s Todd Michaels and attorney Michael Lewenz of Zebersky Payne have obtained a $1 Million policy limits settlement in a negligent security case where the victim was shot three times.

Learn more about Negligent Security Cases

On July 22, 2018 Dennis Barker entered the Fiesta Food Market in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to make a purchase. After exiting the market, while still on the defendants’ property, Mr. Barker was confronted by an assailant who robbed him at gunpoint. During the confrontation the assailant shot Mr. Barker three times.

The gunshots caused major injury, primarily to Mr. Barker‘s left leg. As a result of his injury Mr. Barker had no recollection of the incident.

An investigation showed that the convenience store had a four-year criminal history including six narcotic incidents, four robberies, and two aggravated assaults. The property had no reasonable security features and had been in violation of the Convenience Business Security Act, a Florida Statute which sets minimum security standards for convenience businesses.

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