Skilled Premises Liability Attorneys In Greensboro, NC
What Is Premises Liability?
A premises liability claim is one where a person is injured due to some type of negligence on the part of the owner or leaseholder of the property. Injuries can occur in such places as community centers, neighbor’s homes, sporting events, or local retail stores. If the injury was a direct result of the owner failing to handle a situation that could result in an injury, you have the right to file a claim for compensation for any damages sustained. Our Greensboro premises liability lawyers can help. Some examples could be failing to provide handrails on stairwells at an office building resulting in a slip and fall, tripping over broken and badly maintained concrete in a parking area, or failing to provide adequate lighting in a shopping center resulting in an assault.
Injuries that can occur from these types of claims can range from back injuries to brain injuries or spinal cord injuries. All of these instances could have been avoided if the premises had been maintained as would be expected. If you or someone you know has been injured due to an accident on someone else’s premises, contact a Greensboro premises liability lawyer for assistance in documenting and presenting your claim.
On the other hand, sometimes these types of injuries are your fault and you can’t recover. In North Carolina, we have the law of contributory negligence. This means that you can’t recover if it is your fault. The defense attorney must prove this, it is their burden of proof. They allege this in almost all premises liability and personal injury type cases. This is only fair, people shouldn’t be allowed to just walk around not paying attention and then sue.
The opposite is also true. People aren’t expected to just walk and stare at the ground. Instead, we look at street signs, look at other people, etc. We all have to trust to some degree that the property owners have done a reasonable job keeping their property safe. Many times, I have had huge shopping centers leave sidewalks and parking lots broken up for years. They won’t spend just a few dollars, literally less than $10 to use some concrete patch. Instead, they will fight you hard and blame you for not watching where you are going. With thousands of people walking through these areas, some are doing to get hurt. Who should take responsibility for this? If it only costs a few dollars and a few minutes to fix it, they should fix it.
How Premises Liability Works
In North Carolina, premises liability cases center around the “duty of care,” a legal obligation requiring a reasonable level of care for individuals. In premises liability cases, the plaintiff must prove that the owner of the property on which they were injured owed them a duty of care, that the dangerous conditions that led to the accident were due to a lack of duty of care, and that those conditions resulted in injury. It’s important to entrust your case to a Greensboro premises liability lawyer with the skill and experience to help you get the compensation you deserve. Our team at Roane Law is well-versed in premises liability cases and can fight for your rights.
Meet Our Attorneys
James M. Roane III has built his legal career around representing individuals whose lives were upended by negligence, particularly in cases involving medical malpractice. His commitment to advocacy began after a serious car accident in 1995, when firsthand experience with insurance companies revealed how overwhelming the process can be for injured victims.
Focusing on medical malpractice, catastrophic injuries, nursing home neglect, and serious personal injury cases, James Roane is known for his thorough preparation and trial-focused mindset. He works hand in hand with medical professionals, carefully reviews extensive records, and prepares every case with the expectation that it may go before a jury.
A lifelong Greensboro resident, he graduated cum laude from UNC Greensboro and earned his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. While there, he received the Most Outstanding Advocate Award and excelled on the national trial team. Before founding Roane Law, he held a senior leadership role at a prominent North Carolina injury firm. His credentials include:
Experienced Trial Lawyer: Advocating for plaintiffs since 1999 with jury verdicts across central North Carolina.
Highly Decorated Attorney: Recipient of honors including “Most Outstanding Advocate,” Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite,” and Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent rating.
Legal Educator: Trial advocacy professor at Elon University School of Law and frequent speaker on malpractice litigation and nursing home abuse.
Proven Litigation Success: Achieved multimillion-dollar recoveries in complex medical malpractice and injury cases.
Kara F. McIvor serves as the Workers’ Compensation Practice Group Leader at Roane Law and is a Board Certified Specialist in North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law, a distinction held by only a select group of attorneys. Practicing since 1998, she is known for her unwavering commitment to protecting injured workers.
She holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been named a Top 25 North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Attorney by the National Trial Lawyers. Kara has obtained multimillion-dollar recoveries in catastrophic injury cases, including traumatic brain injury claims exceeding $1 million, and regularly mentors fellow attorneys while speaking at CLE programs statewide.
Christopher J. Woodyard is a litigation attorney at Roane Law representing clients in nursing home abuse, serious car and truck accidents, and complex personal injury cases throughout North Carolina. He has successfully taken cases to verdict in both Superior and District Courts.
Prior to private practice, Chris worked as a law professor, teaching tort law, criminal law, medical malpractice, and legal ethics. He has also lectured at UNC–Chapel Hill, helping future medical professionals understand the civil justice system. His legal commentary has appeared in regional and national media, including NPR.
Frequently Asked Questions: Premises Liability in Greensboro, NC
Who can be held liable in a premises liability case in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, premises liability law holds property owners and leaseholders responsible when their negligence causes injury to visitors. This includes residential homeowners, commercial property owners, retail store operators, landlords, and tenants who control a property. Liability is established by proving the responsible party knew — or should have known — about a dangerous condition and failed to address it in a reasonable time. If you were injured on someone else’s property, a Greensboro premises liability attorney can help evaluate who bears legal responsibility for your damages.
What is contributory negligence and how does it affect my claim?
North Carolina follows the doctrine of contributory negligence — one of the strictest standards in the country. Under this rule, if you are found to bear any degree of fault for the accident, no matter how small, you may be barred from recovering compensation entirely. The burden of proving contributory negligence falls on the defense; they must demonstrate that your own actions contributed to the injury. Because this defense is raised in nearly every premises liability case, it is critical to work with an experienced Greensboro premises liability lawyer who can anticipate and counter this argument effectively.
What types of compensation can I recover in a premises liability claim?
Victims of premises liability accidents in North Carolina may be entitled to several categories of damages, including:
Medical expenses — past and future costs for treatment, surgery, rehabilitation, and medication
Lost wages — income lost during recovery, plus reduced future earning capacity
Pain and suffering — physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life
Property damage — reimbursement for any personal property damaged in the incident
The value of your claim depends on the severity of your injuries, the strength of the evidence, and how clearly the property owner’s negligence can be established. Our attorneys at Roane Law will work to maximize every category of damages available to you.
How long do I have to file a premises liability lawsuit in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, the statute of limitations for most premises liability claims is three years from the date of the injury. If you fail to file within this window, you will permanently lose your right to seek compensation. However, acting quickly is strongly advised — not just to protect your legal rights, but because critical evidence such as surveillance footage, maintenance records, and witness accounts can disappear rapidly. The sooner you contact a Greensboro premises liability lawyer at Roane Law, the better your chances of preserving the evidence needed to build a compelling case.
Schedule A Consultation With Our Attorney
In order to successfully present a premises liability claim, it must be well documented. It is very important to begin an investigation into the facts right away, so as not to lose valuable evidence.
Statements of parties involved, scene investigations, any police or other reports, as well as maintenance records all, need to be obtained. Having a Greensboro premises liability lawyer who knows what to look for in this type of claim can greatly increase your chances of obtaining the compensation you deserve. Don’t put off calling our office for help, as time passes it can become harder to find witnesses or the premises where the injury occurred may get repaired, no longer showing how the accident could have occurred.
If you were hurt on someone else’s property in North Carolina, you may have already started looking into your legal options. Maybe you slipped on a broken sidewalk…
Getting hurt on someone else’s property is stressful enough on its own. What makes it even harder is realizing that being injured doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be compensated.…
Recently, the New York Times had an article that addressed the lack of accountability for generic drug manufacturers. The U.S. Supreme Court held that generic drug suppliers don’t…
