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Chicago Premises Liability Lawyer

In Illinois, property owners are responsible for keeping their premises safe for others. If you or a loved one was injured because of a dangerous condition or an accident on someone else’s property, a Chicago slip and fall accident attorney can help you hold the property owner liable for your injuries.

Call us at (312) 701-0090 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

Why Clients Trust Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC

  • Our Chicago premises liability lawyers have over 30 years of experience protecting the rights of injury victims and helping them recover the full compensation they are entitled to.
  • We handle Chicago premises liability claims on a contingency fee basis. We pay all upfront costs associated with pursuing your claim, and you owe nothing until we secure compensation for you.
  • We are committed to helping you move forward after an accident by guiding you through the legal process and helping you secure maximum compensation for your damages.
  • Insurance companies know that we will not accept low-ball settlement offers and that we are not afraid to go to trial. As a result, most of our cases are settled fairly without trial.
  • Our premises liability lawyers offer a free consultation to evaluate your case, answer your questions, and explain your rights.

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Types Of Premises Liability Cases

At Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC, our experienced attorneys have handled many types of premises liability cases for our clients, including:

Who May Be Liable for Premises Liability Injuries?

Depending on where you were injured, you may be able to hold more than one party liable for your injuries. These parties may include the:

  • Owner of the property
  • Owner of the business on the property
  • Manager of the store
  • Manager of the apartment building
  • Property maintenance companies

Our attorneys will investigate your case thoroughly to ensure that each responsible party is held accountable for your injuries.

Injured in a Premises Liability Accident?

Contact an Attorney at Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC Today

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Recoverable Compensation in Chicago Premises Liability Claims

If you have been injured on someone else’s property due to the owner’s negligence, you may be entitled to substantial compensation for your injuries and losses. The specific damages you can recover will depend on the circumstances of your accident and the severity of your injuries.

In a successful Chicago premises liability claim, you may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages compensate you for measurable financial losses resulting from your accident, including current and future medical costs, lost wages, and other losses and expenses incurred due to your accident.

Non-economic damages compensate you for non-financial losses that receipts or bills cannot measure. They include pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and other intangible losses and costs.

In cases involving particularly egregious or willful misconduct by a property owner, you may be awarded punitive damages in addition to economic and non-economic damages. However, an award of punitive damages is rare.

At Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC, our Chicago personal injury attorneys work diligently to recover all available types of damages and to maximize your compensation.

Illinois Premises Liability Law

Understanding Illinois’s premises liability law is essential to protecting your rights after being injured on someone else’s property. In Illinois, property owners have a legal duty to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition for lawful visitors. This duty extends to both the physical condition of the property and the activities that take place on it.

Illinois courts apply different standards of care depending on the visitor’s status. For invitees and licensees, property owners must exercise ordinary care to ensure the property is safe, including conducting regular inspections, promptly addressing known hazards, and warning visitors about hidden dangers. Property owners have no duty to most trespassers except to avoid willfully injuring them.

Illinois also follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This means you can still recover compensation even if you were partially at fault for your accident, as long as you were less than 51 percent responsible. However, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. Our attorneys work diligently to minimize any alleged fault attributed to you and maximize your recovery.

How To Prove Fault in a Chicago Premises Liability Case

Proving fault in a premises liability case requires establishing that the property owner or occupier was negligent and that their negligence caused your injuries. This involves proving four essential legal elements.

First, you must establish that the property owner or occupier owed you a duty of care. The duty owed depends on your status as a visitor to the property.

In Illinois, visitors are generally classified as invitees, licensees, or trespassers. An invitee is someone invited onto the property for business purposes, such as a customer at a store or restaurant. A licensee is someone who enters the property for their own purposes with the owner’s permission, such as a social guest. Property owners owe invitees and licensees a duty to exercise reasonable care to maintain the property in a safe condition and to warn them of known hazards that are not obvious.

Second, you must prove the property owner or occupier breached their duty of care. A breach occurs when the owner fails to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances. In premises liability cases, this typically means the owner knew or should have known about a dangerous condition and failed to remedy it or warn visitors about it. Examples of breaches include failing to repair broken stairs, neglecting to clean up spills promptly, allowing poor lighting in parking areas, failing to provide adequate security despite known crime risks, or ignoring building code violations.

You must establish that the property owner had either actual notice or constructive notice of the dangerous condition. Actual notice means the owner knew about the hazard. Constructive notice means the condition existed long enough for the owner to have discovered it through reasonable inspection and maintenance procedures.

Third, you must prove causation. This means demonstrating that the property owner’s breach of duty was the direct cause of your accident and injuries.

Fourth, you must prove you suffered actual damages. This requires documenting your injuries and losses through medical records, invoices, employment records, expert testimony, and other evidence. You must show that you suffered real harm as a result of the property owner’s negligence.

If you or a loved one could have a valid claim, take photographs showing the condition at the time of the incident.

“Straight to the point, extremely helpful.”

Mr. Karno and I spoke on the phone & within minutes I said, “I trust your judgment. Let’s continue.” That’s a rare feeling..to know your representative is both warm and competent.
Five stars. No complaints.
Straight to the point, extremely helpful. Mr. Karno didn’t just handle the legal work—he navigated, anticipated, and eliminated obstacles before they even had a chance to slow me down.
Precision. Professionalism. No wasted words, no wasted time. Just results.

Sisai Hernandez – Google Review

How a Chicago Premises Liability Lawyer Can Help

Premises liability claims are unique and often complex. You need an experienced Chicago premises liability lawyer with a proven track record.

A skilled premises liability lawyer can thoroughly investigate your accident to uncover the evidence needed to build your strongest case. They can take fast action to help preserve and gather that evidence before it is lost, destroyed, or diminished.

They can help establish and accurately value all your current and future economic and non-economic damages, so you know what a fair settlement of your claim would be.

Your Chicago premises liability attorney can work to negotiate a fair settlement of your case as quickly as possible. And when a fair settlement cannot be reached, they can take your case to trial to help you secure the full value of your claim.

Working with an experienced Chicago premises liability lawyer can significantly improve your chances of recovering maximum compensation for your damages.

Frequently Asked Questions For A Chicago Premises Liability Lawyer

At Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC, we understand that you may have a lot of questions after a serious injury. It’s important to work with an experienced Chicago premises liability lawyer, but here are a few quick answers to the questions we see most often.

What first steps should you take after a slip-and-fall accident in Chicago?

After a slip-and-fall accident, it is important to seek medical care. Your medical records can show how you were injured, what impact that injury will have on your life and how much it cost – at least in terms of medical bills. You also want to consider the types of evidence you can collect, such as witness statements or CCTV recordings of the event. Then, you can talk to an experienced attorney about all of your legal options to seek compensation.

Does a premises liability lawsuit in Chicago have a statute of limitations?

Yes. A statute of limitations is a deadline by which you have to file your claim or you may lose the ability to do so, even if it was a valid claim. In Illinois, the statute of limitations has been set at two years. This is why it is important not to delay taking action after an injury. Move quickly to seek the compensation you deserve.

How does the “attractive nuisance” doctrine apply to children?

The attractive nuisance doctrine addresses property issues that are both attractive and dangerous to children – like a backyard pool. Property owners have to take reasonable steps to keep children safe, and these owners can be liable if they fail to do so – even when the children are trespassing on the property.

How are dog bites addressed by Illinois premises liability law?

If the dog’s owner was negligent, then the law holds them responsible for the injuries the victim suffered. If an owner knowingly brought their dangerous dog outside without a leash and you or your child were attacked, for instance, the owner may be responsible for financial compensation due to the dog’s actions. There are potentially Strict Liability Rules as well as Negligence Rules that may apply. A Chicago premises liability lawyer can help you learn more.

Our Experience | Your Premises Liability Case

With over 30 years of experience in personal injury litigation, our attorneys have developed the skills and knowledge to pursue successful verdicts and settlements on behalf of our clients.

We know how owners and their insurance companies try to avoid paying for your injuries. Our seasoned lawyers are aggressive advocates who understand defense strategies and will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve.

$6.32m

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a 24-year-old patron at a tavern owned by Ginx, Inc. Another patron, known only as “Mike,” became intoxicated, argumentative and violent at…
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$6.32m

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a 24-year-old patron at a tavern owned by Ginx, Inc. Another patron, known only as “Mike,” became intoxicated, argumentative and violent at the tavern as the evening progressed. “Mike” then got into a fight with another patron of the bar and was asked to leave. “Mike” later returned to the bar within minutes and was patted down by the tavern’s bouncer. The bouncer felt what he felt was a gun in “Mike’s” pants and then asked him to leave the tavern, again. Within seconds of Mike leaving the tavern, shots were fired into the tavern through a boarded-up side door. Our client, who was not involved in any altercation that evening, was shot in the back while playing pool near the area of the boarded-up side door.

Client’s Injuries: Permanent paraplegia with paralysis from the nipple-line down, spastic bladder and bowel, broken ribs and a collapsed lung

$825k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was shot with a handgun inside her own apartment by her brother who had entered the building through the front door of the…
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$825k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was shot with a handgun inside her own apartment by her brother who had entered the building through the front door of the apartment complex that was equipped with a lock that was not functioning properly. We successfully argued that the landlord had liability for the shooting due to the fact that the local ordinance required entryway doors to be equipped with a working locking mechanism that required a key to enter the premises.

Client’s Injuries: Gunshot wound that entered the oral cavity and shattered the mandible and went through the neck and then lodged into her right scapula causing a fracture. Also sustained injuries to her right jugular vein and right carotid artery.

$750k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client, a citizen of the Czech Republic, was painting the exterior stairway at 625½ West Arlington, Chicago, Illinois, when he encountered a garbage can…
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$750k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client, a citizen of the Czech Republic, was painting the exterior stairway at 625½ West Arlington, Chicago, Illinois, when he encountered a garbage can on the winder portion of the staircase at which time he lost his balance and fell over the railing of the stairway, falling two stories to the ground. It was alleged that there were various defects in the staircase.

Client’s Injuries: Rib fractures, a burst dislocation of T10/T11 and T11/T12 with paraplegia, which required a fusion of T8 to L1 with a rib graft

$722.5k

Premises Liability

Facts: A power strip manufactured by Gemini Industries, Inc., for Philips-Magnavox failed, causing a fire at a condominium in Homewood, Illinois. The product failure consisted of…
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$722.5k

Premises Liability

Facts: A power strip manufactured by Gemini Industries, Inc., for Philips-Magnavox failed, causing a fire at a condominium in Homewood, Illinois. The product failure consisted of either an MOV and/or thermal fuse failure and/or inappropriate installation of the MOV and/or thermal fuse when the power strip was manufactured. The fire burned through the walls of the condominium unit and entered the adjoining condominium.

Client’s Injuries: Wrongful death of 67-year-old caused by burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. Deceased was a retired train engineer.

$600k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on the remnants of the base of a concrete pillar on the defendant’s property that previously held up a canopy…
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$600k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on the remnants of the base of a concrete pillar on the defendant’s property that previously held up a canopy over the sidewalk.

Client’s Injuries: Right ankle sprain and ligament tear, complex regional pain syndrome of the right lower extremity, type 1, requiring initial treatment of right lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks, a spinal cord implant surgery which lead to a staph infection.

$425k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a customer at a gasoline service station when he was shot in the back by an unknown assailant and robbed, while the…
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$425k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a customer at a gasoline service station when he was shot in the back by an unknown assailant and robbed, while the vehicle he was a passenger in was car-jacked by a group of criminals.

Client’s Injuries: Complete spinal cord injury to T8 resulting in paraplegia; a right 8th rib fracture and numerous complications including phlebitis, fecal impaction, sacral decubitus ulcer, multiple decubitus wounds, back area wounds, bilateral heel wounds, right ischial pressure and post-sacral pressure sore requiring operations for excisional preparation for muscle flap closure of right ischium and excisional preparation for fasciocutaneous closure of the sacrum.

$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was touring the inside of a country club looking at various pieces of equipment to potentially purchase. As she was descending a…
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$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was touring the inside of a country club looking at various pieces of equipment to potentially purchase. As she was descending a flight of carpeted stairs on the premises, she tripped over a piece of carpet that was torn and fell down four stairs. The defense argued the defective condition of the stairs was an open and obvious condition and therefore, they were not liable for our client’s injuries. We successfully argued against the defense’s position and attained a settlement for our client in the amount of $300,000.00.

Client’s Injuries: Nondisplaced sacral fracture and subsequent sacroiliac joint pain.

$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an automobile being driven northbound on Route 31 north of Gracy Road, in McHenry County, Illinois, when it was…
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$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an automobile being driven northbound on Route 31 north of Gracy Road, in McHenry County, Illinois, when it was struck by a truck being driven southbound on Route 31 that had crossed the center line.

Client’s Injuries: Multiple fractures

$205k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped over a garden hose that was left out behind a gated entrance to her house. She suffered a distal radius left fracture,…
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$205k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped over a garden hose that was left out behind a gated entrance to her house. She suffered a distal radius left fracture, which required two surgeries. The defendant argued that hose was an open and obvious condition. The case settled for $205,000.00.

$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when she slipped and fell on a wet floor near the salad bar. The floor had…
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$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when she slipped and fell on a wet floor near the salad bar. The floor had recently been mopped by a restaurant employee.

Client’s Injuries: Mild concussion causing headaches, a C3-C4 disc herniation, C4-C5 disc bulge, cervical sprain, disc protrusions at the levels of C4 and C7 with associated cervical radiculopathy, requiring epidural injections; a non-displaced occult type fracture of the distal tibia with a bone contusion of the distal tibia and the talus requiring her to utilize a Cam walker and a cane.

$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was exiting her apartment complex and walking on the sidewalk toward the parking lot of her building. However, just before reaching the parking…
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$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was exiting her apartment complex and walking on the sidewalk toward the parking lot of her building. However, just before reaching the parking lot, our client was caused to slip and fall on an unnatural accumulation of ice on the sidewalk due to improper placement/maintenance of a drainage gutter.

Client’s Injuries: Displaced left distal radius fracture requiring open reduction internal fixation surgery.

$170k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was lawfully on the defendant’s premises walking down the interior stairs to the basement of the apartment building when she fell down the…
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$170k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was lawfully on the defendant’s premises walking down the interior stairs to the basement of the apartment building when she fell down the stairs after slipping on a foreign substance. We successfully argued that the property owner was negligent in the maintenance of their property by allowing a foreign substance to remain on the surface of the stairwell, thereby causing a slippery and hazardous condition; by failing to maintain a firmly fastened handrail in good condition; failure to warn persons walking down the stairway of the dangerous condition existing on the premises; and failed to properly and sufficiently illuminate the stairway, causing our client to suffer severe and permanent injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Sprain to the medial collateral ligament in the knee, partial tear of the rotator cuff and the AC joint in the left shoulder.

$165k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on a liquid substance left sitting on the highly polished floors at the defendant’s restaurant. Client’s Injuries: Left patella contusion with…
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$165k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on a liquid substance left sitting on the highly polished floors at the defendant’s restaurant.

Client’s Injuries: Left patella contusion with posttraumatic chondromalacia patella, mild lateral femoral condyle and lateral tibial plateau contusion.

$151.9k

Premises Liability

Facts: The plaintiff, age 3, was a patron of South Sea Seafood Restaurant, which was located at 2168 S. Archer Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, when…
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$151.9k

Premises Liability

Facts: The plaintiff, age 3, was a patron of South Sea Seafood Restaurant, which was located at 2168 S. Archer Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, when the defendant, an exchange student from Seoul, South Korea, spun a lazy Susan tray containing a pitcher of hot tea that subsequently fell off the lazy Susan tray causing boiling hot water to spill onto the child.

Client’s Injuries: Scald burn to left extremity and right body, right elbow, right thigh, and right calf

$150k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was walking on public property when she slipped and fell due to the defendant property owner’s negligence in the maintenance of their property…
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$150k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was walking on public property when she slipped and fell due to the defendant property owner’s negligence in the maintenance of their property by piling up shoveled snow adjacent to the exit sidewalk. We successfully argued that the property owner should not have piled the snow up so near the exit to the premises, which in turn allowed it to thaw and refreeze creating an icing condition on the sidewalk, which caused the slip and fall which resulted in our client’s injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Lumbosacral strain, C5-C6 disc bulge, foraminal stenosis, nerve root irritation.

$135k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was on his way to work when he came onto the sidewalk in front of the office building where he worked where he…
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$135k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was on his way to work when he came onto the sidewalk in front of the office building where he worked where he slipped and fell on ice formed by runoff from the building.

Client’s Injuries: Fracture of the left femoral neck (hip fracture).

$125k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped and fell due to the defendant’s negligence in the maintenance of its property. The defendant failed to adequately secure the carpeting on…
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$125k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped and fell due to the defendant’s negligence in the maintenance of its property. The defendant failed to adequately secure the carpeting on the stairway leading down from the second floor; allowing the stairway to exist with a lack of uniform sized treads and risers; not having sufficient handrails and having inadequate lighting, resulting in our client’s injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Bimalleolar fracture of the right ankle which led to an open reduction internal fixation operation.

$110k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when a server spilled a pot of boiling water onto our client. Client’s Injuries: Severe burns to…
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$110k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when a server spilled a pot of boiling water onto our client.

Client’s Injuries: Severe burns to right shoulder, right arm, chest, and face; diagnosed with full thickness skin loss due to 3rd degree burns to the forehead, cheek, upper arm, and shoulder.

$100k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was in an elevator at 5838 N. Sheridan Rd. when the elevator dropped and fell multiple floors until it fell into the elevator…
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$100k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was in an elevator at 5838 N. Sheridan Rd. when the elevator dropped and fell multiple floors until it fell into the elevator pit.

$90k

Premises Liability

Facts: The defendant was visiting our client’s home and while our client was escorting the defendant to her car as she was leaving the premises, the…
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$90k

Premises Liability

Facts: The defendant was visiting our client’s home and while our client was escorting the defendant to her car as she was leaving the premises, the defendant ran into and pushed our client to the ground because the defendant overreacted to seeing a stray animal in the street.

Client’s Injuries: Suffered a comminuted fracture in the distal end or metaphysic of the radius with fractured lines extending to the distal articular cortical margin; open reduction internal fixation surgery to repair her fractured wrist.

Let Us Evaluate Your Case

Did you or a loved one suffer injuries on someone else’s property? We represent clients throughout the Chicago area. There are no fees until we win or settle or your case. We take all cases on a contingency fee basis.

Contact Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC today for a free consultation with an experienced premises liability attorney.

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