Premises liability is the body of law that holds property owners responsible when someone gets hurt on their property because of a dangerous condition the owner knew about (or should have known about). Slip-and-falls are the most common example, but the doctrine covers a lot more.
Most states sort visitors into invitees (customers, business guests), licensees (social visitors), and trespassers — each with a different duty of care. Invitees get the highest protection; trespassers the least.
A perfectly normal staircase isn't an unreasonable danger. A wet floor with no warning sign, a broken handrail, or icy steps after a known storm usually are. The condition has to be one a reasonable owner would address.
If a customer drops a pickle 30 seconds before you slip, the store probably can't be liable — they had no time to react. If the pickle has been there for an hour with employees walking past, the store likely can.
Slip-and-fall, broken stairs, inadequate security at apartments and parking lots, dog attacks on the owner's property, swimming pool injuries, falling merchandise, and elevator/escalator injuries.
If you were on your phone and walked through an obvious puddle, the defense will argue you bear some of the blame. Most states then reduce recovery proportionally; a few bar it entirely if you're more than half at fault.
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NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice.