Los Angeles Premises Liability Attorney

Sunset West Legal Group, PC is a Los Angeles personal injury law firm representing victims injured on unsafe property—slip and falls, negligent security, swimming pool accidents, and more. Led by founding attorney Payton Kashani, the firm has recovered $150M+ for injured clients across California. We work on a no win, no fee basis, offer a free consultation, and are available 24/7. Hablamos Español.

Why Choose Sunset West for Your Premises Liability Claim

Insurance companies calculate settlement offers based on one question: will this firm actually take us to trial? Property owners and their insurers know which law firms settle cheap to avoid the courtroom—and they price their offers accordingly. Sunset West Legal Group, PC builds every premises liability case as if it’s going to trial from day one, which is why insurers come to the table with real numbers instead of lowball offers.

We’ve recovered $150M+ for injured clients across California, and our founding attorney, Payton Kashani, was named to TopVerdict’s 2025 list of the top 100 California personal injury settlements. That track record isn’t an accident—it’s the result of treating every case as a fight worth winning, not a file to close quickly.

$150M+ recovered · 200+ five-star reviews · No fee unless we win · Available 24/7 · Hablamos Español

Meet Your Attorney: Payton Kashani

Payton Kashani is the founding partner of Sunset West Legal Group, PC and the lead attorney on every premises liability case the firm takes on. Admitted to the California Bar in 2012 (Bar No. 283862) and a graduate of the University of West Los Angeles School of Law, Payton has spent more than a decade holding negligent property owners accountable for injuries caused by unsafe conditions.

His track record has earned him Super Lawyers Rising Stars recognition (2018–2022), a 10.0 “Superb” rating on Avvo, and a place on TopVerdict’s 2025 list of the top 100 California personal injury settlements. Before founding Sunset West, Payton led Kashani Law, which Lawfirm500 named the 15th fastest-growing law firm in the United States in 2017.

Supporting Payton on premises liability matters is attorney Josh Teller, admitted to the California Bar in 2022 and recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2025–2026. For guidance on choosing the right representation, see How To Choose the Best Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles.

Types of Premises Liability Cases We Handle

Premises liability covers far more than the classic slip and fall. If a property owner’s negligence caused your injury, you may have a claim regardless of what kind of hazard was involved. We handle:

• Slip and fall accidents—wet floors, spills, uneven surfaces, and poor lighting in stores, restaurants, and other commercial properties
• Dog bites—California holds dog owners strictly liable for bites, regardless of the animal’s prior history
• Negligent security—assaults, robberies, and other foreseeable criminal acts in parking structures, apartment complexes, and nightlife venues with inadequate lighting, locks, or security personnel
• Swimming pool accidents—drownings and injuries at improperly maintained or inadequately secured pools
• Falling object accidents—improperly stored or unsecured merchandise, equipment, or materials
• Elevator and escalator accidents—mechanical failures or poor maintenance in malls, office buildings, and parking structures
• Fires and toxic exposure—faulty wiring, gas leaks, or undisclosed hazardous materials
• Government and public property hazards—dangerous sidewalks, public buildings, and transit stops (subject to a much shorter claim deadline—more on that below)

Severe falls and negligent-security incidents can also result in traumatic brain injuries or, in the most tragic cases, wrongful death—both areas our firm also handles.

No Win, No Fee: How Our Costs Work

We work on a contingency basis—you pay nothing upfront, and you owe us nothing unless we win your case. Sunset West Legal Group, PC covers all case costs (investigation, expert witnesses, filing fees) with no reimbursement required if we don’t recover compensation for you. Your initial consultation is always free.

Wondering how attorney fees actually work in a personal injury case? Read our guide: Understanding Personal Injury Lawyer Fees in Los Angeles.

What to Do After a Premises Liability Accident

What you do in the hours and days after your injury can determine whether you have a strong claim or none at all.

1. Get medical attention first. Some injuries—head trauma, internal injuries, soft-tissue damage—don’t show symptoms immediately. A medical record also creates the documented link between the accident and your injury that your claim will need.
2. Document the scene if you can. Photos of the hazard, the surrounding area, and your injuries are some of the strongest evidence in a premises liability case.
3. Get witness contact information. Witnesses often disappear once they leave the property, and their account may be the only thing that corroborates what happened.
4. Report the incident to the property owner or manager. This creates an official record. Ask for a copy if one is generated.
5. Do not admit fault. Statements like “I wasn’t looking where I was going” can be used against you later, even if they weren’t a full account of what happened.
6. Do not speak to the property owner’s insurance adjuster before speaking to a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to get recorded statements that minimize your claim’s value. You are not obligated to give one.
7. Call a premises liability attorney as soon as possible. The next section explains exactly why timing matters more than most people realize.

The Evidence-Destruction Clock

Here’s what most injured visitors don’t realize: the strongest evidence in a premises liability case often has an expiration date, and it’s shorter than you’d think.

Surveillance footage is frequently the single most valuable piece of evidence in a slip and fall, negligent security, or falling-object claim—it can show exactly how long a hazard existed, whether the property owner had time to fix it, and what really happened in the moments before you were hurt. But most commercial properties operate on standard DVR cycles that overwrite footage automatically, often within 7 to 30 days, unless someone formally requests it be preserved.

Once that footage is gone, it’s gone. No amount of legal skill can recreate it after the fact.

The same urgency applies to physical evidence: a wet floor gets mopped up, a broken step gets repaired, maintenance logs get updated. Every day that passes after your injury is a day the property owner has to make the hazard—and the proof of their negligence—disappear.

This is why timing matters as much as the facts of your case. When you call Sunset West Legal Group, PC, we move immediately to send preservation letters demanding that surveillance footage, maintenance records, and incident reports be retained before they’re lost. The sooner we’re involved, the more evidence we can lock down on your behalf.

How California Premises Liability Claims Work

To win a premises liability case in California, you generally need to establish four elements, drawn from California Civil Jury Instruction (CACI) No. 1000:

1. Ownership or control—the defendant owned, leased, occupied, or controlled the property
2. Negligence—the defendant failed to use reasonable care in maintaining or inspecting the property
3. Causation—that negligence was a substantial factor in causing your injury
4. Harm—you suffered actual, documented damages

Duty of care depends on why you were there. Under California Civil Code § 1714, property owners generally owe a duty of reasonable care to people lawfully on their property. That duty is highest for invitees (customers and other visitors on the property for the owner’s benefit), still present but somewhat lesser for licensees (social guests), and most limited for trespassers—though even then, property owners can be liable if they knew of a trespasser’s presence or failed to protect children from an attractive hazard.

Comparative negligence. California follows a pure comparative negligence rule. If you’re found partially at fault for your own injury—say, you were looking at your phone when you walked into a clearly marked hazard—your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover something even if you were mostly at fault.

Statute of limitations. You generally have two years from the date of injury to file a premises liability claim in California. If the property is owned by a government entity—a city sidewalk, a public building, a transit stop—that window shrinks dramatically: you must file a formal government claim within six months of the injury, or you lose the right to sue entirely.

Damages. You may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and—in cases of catastrophic injury—future medical care and diminished earning capacity.

For more on how personal injury claims work in California generally, see our guide on the types of personal injury claims in California. And if you’re wondering what the process looks like from here, see how long does it take to resolve a personal injury case?

Staying Safe on Others’ Property

While you can’t control how well a property owner maintains their premises, a few habits can reduce your risk:

• Watch for posted caution signs near wet floors, construction zones, or uneven surfaces
• Use handrails on stairs and ramps, especially in poorly lit areas
• Be cautious around pools and water features, particularly with young children nearby
• Report hazards you notice to property staff—it helps others avoid the same risk

Of course, no amount of caution eliminates a property owner’s legal duty to keep their premises safe. If you’re injured despite taking reasonable care, the fault likely lies with the property owner, not you.

Injured on Someone Else’s Property in Los Angeles? Let’s Talk

Every day you wait is a day the property owner has to fix the hazard and erase the proof. Sunset West Legal Group, PC offers a free consultation, works on a no win, no fee basis, and is available 24/7—Hablamos Español.

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