Negligent Security: Does Your Restaurant Have Exposure?

The negligent security claims made against restaurants fall into two subcategories:

1) failure to maintain adequate security measures

2) failure of the actual security measures in place. 

How does a restaurant owner take steps to avoid a negligent security lawsuit?

For example, an allegation of failure to maintain adequate security measures may be levied against a restaurant that is in a well-known high crime area, has a dimly lit parking lot and has no security guard or surveillance camera system.  Unfortunately, it really is as simple as that to get a case started against that hypothetical restaurant.  An allegation of failure of actual security measures could arise at the same restaurant under different facts.  Altering the facts slightly, if the restaurant had a lone security guard and that guard fell asleep and a crime occurred on the premises, then that is a failure of the presumably sufficient security measures that were in place.

The vast majority of the litigation that I…