On July 7, 2026, Philadelphia partners Jacob F. Kratt and Carol Murphy successfully secured summary judgment on behalf of a security company in a high-exposure negligent security and premises liability lawsuit filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
The lawsuit arose from a September 2022 incident in Northeast Philadelphia where the plaintiff was shot and severely injured by an unknown patron following a verbal altercation outside a bar in Northeast Philadelphia. The plaintiff brought a single claim of negligence against our client, alleging that the security firm was responsible for security in the parking lot and shopping center where the bar was located.
In the Motion for Summary Judgment, team successfully argued that our client owed no legal duty to the plaintiff. Under its security services agreement with the property manager, our client was contracted to provide unarmed security guards to observe, deter, and report activities within the common areas of an adjacent shopping center. Upon consideration of the motion, the Court of Common Pleas granted summary judgment in favor of our client, dismissing all claims and crossclaims against the security company with prejudice.
