People underestimate falls. A grocery store floor with a spill nobody cleaned, an unlit apartment stairwell, a torn mat at a restaurant entry, a loose handrail: these produce broken wrists, hip fractures, torn shoulders, and head injuries that change how a person lives. Insurance companies underestimate falls too, and they often start from the position that the person who fell was not looking where they were going.
Manoukian Law Firm handles premises liability claims throughout California from the firm’s Chatsworth office. Manoukian Law Firm takes each case from the first call through litigation when that is what the case needs. Every file is prepared as though a jury will read it.
What to do after a fall
- Report the fall to a manager or the property owner before you leave, and ask that a written incident report be made. Request a copy.
- Photograph the hazard immediately, from several angles and far enough back to show the surroundings. The spill will be mopped and the mat replaced within the hour.
- Photograph your shoes and what you were wearing. Footwear becomes an issue in most defenses.
- Look for cameras and note where they are. Ask the manager, in front of a witness if possible, to preserve the video.
- Get names and phone numbers of anyone who saw the fall or who came over afterward, including employees.
- Seek medical care the same day. Wrist, hip, and head injuries are frequently missed when someone waits to see if it improves.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the property’s insurance company and do not sign a medical authorization before speaking with a lawyer.
How these cases work in California
A property owner owes a duty of ordinary care to keep the property reasonably safe for people who come onto it. That duty comes from Rowland v. Christian (1968), which set aside the old categories that treated visitors differently and asked instead what care was reasonable under all the circumstances. The question is not simply whether you fell. It is whether the owner or occupier acted reasonably given what they knew or should have known.
That makes notice the center of most cases. A claim generally requires proof that the owner had actual notice of the hazard, meaning they knew about it, or constructive notice, meaning the condition existed long enough that reasonable inspection would have found it. A spill that occurred thirty seconds earlier is a different case from a spill that sat through two shifts. This is why inspection logs, sweep sheets, employee statements, and surveillance video matter more than almost anything else, and why waiting months to make a claim can be costly.
Comparative fault comes up in nearly every fall. California follows pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab (1975). If a jury finds the injured person bore some share of responsibility, the award is reduced by that percentage rather than barred. An argument about footwear or a phone in your hand affects the number, not the existence of the claim.
Two more points. Medical damages are limited to the amounts actually paid or owed under Howell v. Hamilton Meats (2011), so the billing records and lien balances have to be gathered accurately. And if the property belongs to a public entity, a city sidewalk, a county building, a school, the rules change substantially and the time to act is much shorter. We address that below and on our Sidewalk Accidents page.
How Manoukian Law Firm handles slip and fall cases
The first task is to stop evidence from disappearing. Surveillance systems in stores and apartment buildings commonly overwrite within days or weeks, so we send preservation letters as soon as we are retained and identify who controls the footage. We request incident reports, maintenance and inspection records, sweep logs, work orders, prior complaints about the same condition, and the vendor contracts that show who was responsible for the area.
Then we establish notice. Prior incidents at the same location, repair histories, and employee testimony often show that a condition was known and tolerated. In building and stairway cases we work with a safety or code expert to measure what the eye cannot: riser heights, tread depth, lighting levels, handrail dimensions, and the slip resistance of the surface itself. Measurements taken by a qualified expert carry weight that a photograph alone does not.
Alongside that, we make sure the injury is properly documented. That means treating physicians who examine thoroughly and chart clearly, imaging where it is warranted, and, where a head injury is involved, evaluation by the right specialists. We collect the complete records and billing, document lost income, and present the claim with the evidence attached. If the response does not reflect the harm done, we file suit and prepare the case for trial. San Fernando Valley premises cases are generally heard in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s North Valley district in Chatsworth or Northwest district in Van Nuys.
How a case like yours works: a fall at a big-box store
A client slipped near the restroom of a large retail store, where water from a leaking drinking fountain had spread across the floor. There was no wet-floor sign and no cone. The store’s position was the one stores almost always take: she should have seen the water and watched her step. The problem with that argument was the water itself. Photographs of the floor, taken under the same lighting, showed that clear water on that surface was close to invisible from a walking height. The firm requested the store’s incident report and maintenance records, preserved the video, and documented the injuries through her treating physicians. The case was filed and resolved during litigation.
That is the pattern in most falls: the property owner argues that the hazard was open and obvious, and the case is won or lost on whether you can show, with evidence, that it was not. It is also why photographs on the day of the fall, before anything is cleaned up, matter so much.
Vaheh Manoukian kept me informed every step of the way and always gave me his honest opinion about what he thought should be the next step. He always made sure that I knew I was in charge and in the driver seat; he was there as my co-pilot to help guide me in the right direction. He always returned my calls or texts almost immediately.
What can be recovered
California law allows recovery of past and future medical expenses, including surgery, physical therapy, injections, and the care a physician expects will be needed later. Lost wages and lost earning capacity are recoverable, along with the cost of household help for work you can no longer do yourself.
Non-economic damages address the pain, the loss of mobility, the disrupted sleep, and the activities a person gives up after a hip fracture or a shoulder repair. In older clients, a fall often marks the loss of independence, and that loss belongs in the case. We do not promise numbers. We document what happened and present it plainly.
Deadlines
The general deadline for a California personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of injury (Code Civ. Proc. 335.1). If the property is owned or controlled by a government entity, you must first present a written claim to that entity within six months of the incident (Gov. Code 911.2), and a shorter lawsuit deadline follows if the claim is rejected. Sidewalks, public buildings, transit platforms, and school grounds fall into this category. Because evidence in premises cases disappears so quickly, the practical deadline is far shorter than the legal one.
Case results
Our client tripped and fell at a restaurant. Witness depositions and discovery guided the case to a $250,000 settlement.
Our client was injured by a dangerous condition at a nightclub. The case settled in litigation for a six-figure sum after discovery.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have a case just because I fell?
Not by itself. The law asks whether the property owner acted reasonably, which usually means proving they knew about the hazard or should have found it through reasonable inspection. That is a matter of evidence, which is why the incident report, the video, and the maintenance records matter so much.
The store says the spill was not there long. How can that be answered?
Sometimes it can. Sweep logs that were not filled out, video showing customers walking around the area for an extended period, or a nearby employee who was in a position to see it can all establish constructive notice. That evidence has to be requested before it is gone.
What if I fell in my apartment building?
Landlords and property managers owe a duty of care in common areas, stairwells, walkways, garages, and lighting. Those claims often involve deferred maintenance and prior tenant complaints. See our page on Apartment Complex Injuries for how those cases are built.
What if I fell at a hotel or a short-term rental?
Innkeeper and property owner duties apply, and there may be more than one responsible party, including a management company. We cover these on our Hotel Injuries and Airbnb and VRBO Injuries pages.
What will this cost me?
Nothing to begin. Premises cases are handled on a contingency fee, and there is no fee unless we win. The consultation is free and there is no obligation.
If you were hurt in a fall on someone else’s property, call Manoukian Law Firm at (818) 818-5031. The consultation is free, we speak English, Spanish and Armenian, and we can meet by phone, by video or at the hospital if getting to the office is difficult. You can also reach us through our contact page or read more about the firm.
Serving clients across California
The office is on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, and the firm represents injured people throughout the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita and California. If you cannot travel, we meet by phone, by video or in the hospital.
Most of the firm’s clients live and drive in the San Fernando Valley. See how cases are handled in Chatsworth, Northridge, Reseda, Canoga Park, San Fernando and Simi Valley, or browse every community the firm serves.
