Houston Premises Liability Attorneys · 30+ Years in Texas

Houston Premises Liability Lawyers

Slip-and-fall at the Galleria, falling merchandise at a big-box retailer, parking-garage injury, hotel pool incident, or assault at an apartment complex with inadequate security? Texas premises liability turns on what the owner knew or should have known. We serve Houston from our Fort Worth office.

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How we serve Houston clients

Patterson Law Group does not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Houston. We serve Houston-area clients from our Fort Worth and San Antonio offices. We know Texas premises-liability law, the invitee / licensee / trespasser duty framework, and the surveillance-video preservation moves that decide premises cases at the threshold. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Houston for depositions, mediations, hearings, and trial.

Where Houston premises liability cases happen

Big-box retailers. Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's. Liquid-spill and pallet-stacking incidents in the aisle network.
Grocery chains. HEB, Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Randalls. Produce-section spills, bakery leaks, frozen-aisle condensation.
Mall and shopping center properties. The Galleria, Memorial City Mall, Baybrook Mall, Katy Mills, Houston Premium Outlets. Slip-and-fall, falling-signage, escalator and elevator incidents.
Hotels. Downtown convention-hotel district, Galleria luxury hotels, airport-adjacent hotels at Bush IAH and Hobby. Pool-area, parking-garage, and stairway-fall cases.
Restaurants and bars. Slip-and-fall, glass-table collapse, inadequate-lighting incidents.
Apartment complexes. Negligent-security after assault, inadequate-lighting falls, unsafe-balcony and stair incidents, swimming pool drownings.
Stadiums and event venues. Minute Maid Park, NRG Stadium, Toyota Center, BBVA Compass Stadium. Large-crowd negligent-security and concession-area incidents.
Hospitals and medical campuses. Memorial Hermann, Houston Methodist, Texas Children's Hospital. Wet-floor, parking-garage, and elevator incident cases.
Galveston cruise terminals and Port of Houston facilities. Cruise-passenger injuries on terminal property, dockside slip-and-fall.
City parks and public properties. Texas Tort Claims Act applies — notice deadlines as short as six months.

Texas premises liability law — what Houston clients should know

Two-year statute of limitations

Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 sets a two-year SOL from the date of injury. Government-defendant claims may have shorter Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines.

Invitee / licensee / trespasser framework

Texas case law assigns different duties based on the visitor's status. An invitee is owed the highest duty (warn of and make safe conditions the owner knows or should know). A licensee is owed less. A trespasser is owed only a duty against willful injury.

Knowledge requirement

The plaintiff must show the owner knew or reasonably should have known of the dangerous condition. Constructive knowledge — the condition existed long enough that the owner should have discovered it — can satisfy this element.

Modified comparative fault (§33.001)

You can recover as long as you are 50% or less at fault. The store will argue you should have noticed the hazard.

Texas Recreational Use Statute (§75.001 et seq.)

Limits liability when someone is injured during recreational activity on certain property. Exceptions exist, particularly for gross negligence or paid admission.

Dog bite liability

Texas follows a modified one-bite rule. Owner liable if they knew or should have known of dangerous propensity. Texas Health & Safety Code §822.0421 also creates criminal liability for owners of dogs declared dangerous.

Negligent security

Texas recognizes a duty to provide reasonable security against foreseeable criminal acts. Foreseeability depends on prior criminal incidents on the property and surrounding crime statistics.

Paid or incurred medicals (§41.0105)

Limits medical-damages recovery to amounts actually paid or incurred. Critical for the substantial medical bills that often follow Houston premises cases.

Where Houston premises liability cases are heard

Harris County

Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline Street. 23 District Courts handle the civil docket.

Surrounding counties

Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, Brazoria, Waller — each has its own county courthouse.

Federal court (S.D. Tex.)

United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, 515 Rusk Street.

Other Houston injury cases we handle

Common questions from Houston premises liability clients

What is the deadline to file a Houston premises liability lawsuit?

Two years from the date of the injury under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003. Claims against city, county, or state property — including the City of Houston, Harris County, Houston Independent School District, or other governmental defendants — can trigger Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months under §101.101.

What does Texas law require me to prove in a premises case?

Generally, the plaintiff must prove (1) a dangerous condition existed on the property, (2) the property owner knew or reasonably should have known about it, (3) the owner failed to exercise reasonable care to make the condition safe or warn about it, and (4) that failure caused the injury. The owner's duty depends on whether the visitor was an invitee, licensee, or trespasser.

Does it matter why I was on the property when I got hurt?

Yes. Texas law assigns different duties based on the visitor's status. An invitee (someone there for the owner's business benefit, like a shopper at the Galleria) is owed the highest duty. A licensee (a social guest) is owed a more limited duty. A trespasser is owed only the duty not to be willfully or wantonly injured. Customers in a Houston grocery store, restaurant, mall, or hotel are invitees.

Can I recover if I was partially at fault for not seeing the hazard?

Yes, as long as you were 50% or less at fault. Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §33.001 reduces your recovery by your share of fault but does not bar it unless that share exceeds 50%. The store will argue you should have noticed the hazard; we present what the owner knew or should have known.

What if I was bitten by a dog at a Houston property?

Texas follows a one-bite rule with a twist: the owner is liable if they knew or should have known the dog had a dangerous propensity. The owner can also be liable for ordinary negligence if they failed to secure the dog. Texas Health & Safety Code §822.0421 creates criminal liability for owners of dogs declared dangerous. Civil recovery is separate.

What about negligent security at a Houston apartment complex, hotel, or bar?

Texas recognizes a duty to provide reasonable security against foreseeable criminal acts by third parties. Whether an assault was foreseeable depends on factors including prior criminal incidents on the property, the surrounding neighborhood crime statistics, the nature of the business, and whether the owner had security measures in place. We pull prior-incident records and police call histories for the address.

Where will my Houston premises liability case be filed?

Most Harris County civil cases are heard at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline Street, Houston. The 23 civil district courts handle the docket. Fort Bend County (Sugar Land, Missouri City), Montgomery County (The Woodlands, Conroe), and Galveston County cases go to their respective courthouses. Federal claims can be filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.

Does Patterson Law Group have an office in Houston?

We do not have a brick-and-mortar office in Houston. We serve Houston-area clients from our Fort Worth and San Antonio offices. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Houston for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial.

How much does it cost to hire Patterson Law Group for a Houston premises case?

Nothing up front. We take premises-liability cases on contingency — you pay no attorney fees unless we recover for you. The consultation is free and confidential. Se habla español.

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