Haggard Law Firm trial lawyer Christopher Marlowe obtained a $1.69 million settlement in a negligent security case involving the murder of two cousins.
Ken Jean and Bensen Cineas lived on Florida’s southwest coast. They were traveling to an immigration appointment in Miami with a friend late at night, before arriving at a relative’s apartment in North Miami around 3 am. On January 31, 2016, around 4 pm, the cousins were found dead in the front seat of a car. They were found shot in the back of the head, with bullet casings in the back of the car. It is believed that they were dead for approximately twelve hours. Their friend was nowhere to be found.
The apartment complex owned by the defendant, RYAN 15401 6 AVE LLC, had 24-hour security, including a roving patrol. Attorney Marlowe learned during case discovery that the security booth was unmanned for the shift before, during and after the shooting occurred. Security guards testified that they had not been paid regularly for more than a year, and it was common for guards to skip their shifts. Additionally, when the front gate was without a guard, the protocol was to leave the gate open. The gate dedicated for resident use was always broken, so the property was often completely unsecured. No motive was determined for why the victims were shot, or definitively by who.
The Haggard Law Firm has litigated hundreds of negligent security cases for more than two decades obtaining more than $300 million in verdicts and settlements in these cases for our clients.
