If you’ve been recently injured on someone else’s property due to a hazard, you might be eligible for compensation for your injuries. However, if you take your case to court, you’ll only be eligible for compensation if the incident occurred under certain circumstances. In Texas, the outcome of your premises liability claim depends on whether you were considered an invitee or a licensee at the time of the accident. If you don’t know what these terms mean, don’t worry because our firm is here to help! Read on to learn more or reach out to a Corpus Christi, Texas Slip & Fall Lawyer today for high-quality legal counseling.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN INVITEE AND A LICENSEE?
An invitee is someone that is invited onto the property (explicitly or implicitly) for business or transactional reasons. Customers in a store are invitees because although they are not individually invited to visit, the store owner expects shoppers to stop by. Meanwhile, a licensee is someone that has permission to be on a property but is there for social reasons. A property owner doesn’t always expect a licensee’s presence on their property, but licensees are not trespassers. A visitor could be considered a trespasser if they enter the property unlawfully and without permission from the owner.
Examples of invitees include:
- Shoppers in a grocery or retail store
- Customers in a restaurant
- Hotel guests
- Delivery persons
- Contractors hired to work on a home
Examples of licensees include:
- Guests at a party
- Neighbors stopping by
- Friends visiting a residence
- Religious missionaries
- Door-to-door salespeople
WHY IS THE DISTINCTION IMPORTANT?
The distinction may seem insignificant to some, but the difference between these terms is pretty important in Texas courtrooms. This is because property owners owe a higher duty of care to invitees than to licensees. Invitees could be eligible for compensation after injuries sustained on the property if they were injured by a hazard that wasn’t easily avoidable and should have been known by the property owner. However, licensees could only receive compensation under the circumstances if the property owner specifically did not warn them about the hazard. In other words, property owners owe invitees the duty to maintain a safe property to protect them from harm, but they only have a duty to warn licensees about any possible hazards. Since trespassers are on someone’s property illegally, they are less likely to be eligible for compensation.
Have you recently been injured on someone else’s property due to a negligent property owner? Are you seeking a talented personal injury attorney who has your best interests in mind? Look no further because Sahadi Legal Group is here to fight for you! Contact our effective team today for an initial consultation.
