On November 2022, 33 year-old Phillip McCrimmon Martin was staying with a friend at the Vista Haven Apartments in Sanford, Florida. Watching over the apartment while the resident was out on a short trip, Phillip and his friend largely kept to themselves. On November 22nd, Phillip was shot in the parking lot of the complex. As he struggled up the stairs towards the apartment, the shooter continued firing at him. Phillip died in the apartment.
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.
Trial Lawyer Pedro Echarte
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.
