The Haggard Law Firm’s Douglas McCarron and Michael Haggard have secured a $3 Million settlement in a wrongful death negligent security case. The names of the parties involved are confidential per the terms of the settlement.
The victim, John Doe, was murdered at the “ABC Apartments” within SIX weeks of another killing at the very same complex. That case was settled for $1.75 Million. These brutal killings, both involving young men, continue the troubling and tragic consistent violence at the property.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte and Michael Haggard have obtained a $19.5 Million global settlement involving two separate negligent security cases against common defendants. While the incidents were entirely unrelated, the same common defendants owned and operated the two multi-family residential properties in South Florida. Both incidents happened only months apart from each other. The names of the parties are confidential. Because both incidents were covered by the same insurance policies, Echarte and Haggard negotiated the settlement of both cases for the available policy limits of $19,000,000 in addition to an extra $500,000 directly from the defendant property management company. Both cases settled shortly after the respective lawsuits were filed.
On October 16, 2021, 24-year-old Jamal Drummond was visiting the Holiday Inn Express along Metrocentre Boulevard attending a party, when he was shot and killed. Drummond was a father of two.
That evening, a trespasser arrived at the hotel and walked around the property looking for a woman.
He had a photo of the woman on his phone, asking guests if they saw her. This man remained on the property without any lawful purpose. He was never approached by staff. The trespasser spent time within the hotel making loud noises near the front desk. The hotel staff still ignored him.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Michael Haggard and Adam Finkel secured two settlements totaling $10 Million in two negligent security wrongful death cases against the same defendants. The cases addressed the murders of two young men in Pensacola, Florida. While killed in different apartment complexes, both were owned and operated by The Marquis Group.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Joshua Padron and Todd Michaels have secured a $1.5 Million settlement in a negligent security personal injury case involving a gas station shooting.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte has obtained a $3 Million settlement for the family of a 15-year-old boy murdered at an Orlando apartment complex with a history of crime.
On July 1, 2018, “W.I.”, a 15-year-old boy, was shot and killed at the Boca Club Apartments in Orlando, FL. At the time of the incident the teenager lived at the apartment complex with his father. “W.I.” left behind his devastated parents who were the survivors of his claim.
The Haggard Law Firm brought this action against the apartment complex for failing to have needed security measures to protect residents and guests. Echarte was able to show that the apartment complex had a long history of both violent and non-violent crime. Despite this history of crime, the apartment complex never warned its residents of the crime occurring within the community or invested in the security that could have prevented this and other tragedies.
As a result, neither the 15-year-old or his family knew the extent of the crime in the community or the full extent of the risk that existed there.
The Haggard Law Firm was able to show that the apartment complex had few of the necessary security measures. It did not have access control, surveillance cameras, or a sufficient amount of manned security. While the apartment complex did claim it not only had manned security but that it had two security guards on the night of the incident, the defendants were never able to provide any proof that security guards were actually on the property at the time of the incident. No security logs, time sheets, reports, or any other information to substantiate their claim concerning the presence of security guards was ever produced.
Ultimately, the case was resolved leading up to trial.