California premises liability cases are governed by two major frameworks:

A. CACI 1000–1011 (Private Property Owners)

These govern claims against private landowners, including:

• Stores (Target, Walmart, Ralphs, Costco, etc.)
  
• Apartment complexes
  
• Shopping centers
  
• Hotels
  
• Gyms
  
• Restaurants
  
• Parking lots
  
• Private sidewalks and walkways
  

B. CACI 1100–1123 (Public Property / Dangerous Conditions of Public Property)

These apply to government entities, including:

• Cities
  
• Counties
  
• The State of California
  
• Caltrans
  
• School districts
  
• Parks and recreation agencies
  

1. CACI 1000 Series – Private Property (Slip-and-Fall / Premises Liability)

To win against a private property owner, plaintiff must prove:

Under CACI 1000:

1. Defendant owned, leased, occupied, or controlled the property
   
2. Defendant was negligent in the use or maintenance of the property
   
3. Plaintiff was harmed
   
4. Defendant’s negligence was a substantial factor in causing the harm
   

How Do You Prove Negligence?

Negligence can be shown by lack of:

• Inspection
  
• Maintenance
  
• Cleanup
  
• Warning signs
  
• Repair
  
• Lighting
  
• Proper staffing
  

California law requires reasonable inspections.
A store cannot claim “we didn’t know about the spill” if they had no reasonable inspection schedule.

2. CACI 1100 Series — Dangerous Condition of Public Property (Government Claims)

These cases are NOT negligence-based. They require proving a dangerous condition as defined by statute.

Under CACI 1100–1103, plaintiff must prove:

1. Public property was in a dangerous condition
   
2. The condition created a reasonably foreseeable risk of the type of injury that occurred
   
3. The dangerous condition was created by:
   – a public employee’s negligence, OR
   – the government had notice of the condition and failed to repair it
   
4. The plaintiff suffered harm
   
5. The dangerous condition was a substantial factor in causing the harm
   

Government Claims Requirement

Before suing, you must file a Government Tort Claim within 6 months.
Failure to file bars the lawsuit.

A. Dangerous Condition (Private Property)

Covers hazards such as:

• Wet floors
  
• Spills
  
• Cracked tiles
  
• Broken staircases
  
• Torn carpeting
  
• Uneven walkways
  
• Poor lighting
  
• Falling merchandise
  
• Unsafe escalators/elevators
  

The question is:
Did the owner act reasonably to prevent the hazard?

B. Dangerous Condition of Public Road/Sidewalk (CACI 1100 Series)

These cases require proving:

• A defect in the roadway/sidewalk/crosswalk
  
• Poor design
  
• Missing signage
  
• Lack of lighting
  
• Potholes
  
• Broken sidewalks
  
• Tree-root uplift
  
• Improper drainage
  

Government is liable if they:

• Created the danger, or
  
• Knew about it (actual notice), or
  
• Should have known about it (constructive notice)
  

and failed to fix it.

Sidewalk cases are unique because both public entities AND adjacent private property owners may share responsibility.

California law holds:

• Public entities maintain general responsibility for public sidewalks
  
• BUT private owners adjacent to the sidewalk may be liable when:
  – Their trees caused uplift
  – Their irrigation system caused water damage
  – Their construction or negligence created the hazard
  – Their employee or contractor created debris, tripping risks, or unsafe conditions
  

This means a victim may sue:

• The City
  
• The County
  
• Caltrans
  
• The adjacent private property owner
  
• The business benefiting from sidewalk use
  
• Contractors who created the danger
  

BLG investigates both sides immediately to preserve your claim.

Inside Stores

• Wet floors
  
• Slip-and-falls from spills
  
• Falling merchandise
  
• Broken shelving
  
• Poor lighting
  
• Unsafe flooring transitions
  

Outside Stores

• Sidewalk cracks
  
• Missing handrails
  
• Uneven pavement
  
• Dangerous curbs
  
• Slippery paint or sealants
  

Parking Lots

• Potholes
  
• Poor lighting
  
• Lack of security
  
• Vehicle-pedestrian collisions
  
• Oil or grease spills
  

Stairways & Ramps

• Broken steps
  
• Missing or loose handrails
  
• ADA violations
  
• Poor lighting
  

Apartment Complexes

• Common area hazards
  
• Loose railings
  
• Dangerous balconies
  
• Walkway cracks
  
• Pool accidents
  

Bicycle Injuries on Premises

If a cyclist is injured due to a hazardous condition on:

• A sidewalk
  
• A parking lot
  
• A driveway
  
• A store entrance
  
• A roadway controlled by a business
  

premises liability applies.

• Broken ankles, wrists, hips
  
• Head trauma / concussions / TBI
  
• Spine injuries
  
• Shoulder injuries (including rotator cuff tears)
  
• Knee injuries (meniscus, ACL, MCL)
  
• Back injuries
  
• Lacerations or facial injuries
  
• Long-term disability
  
• Chronic pain
  
• Wrongful death
  

• 2 years — private property premises liability
  
• 6 months — government claims (sidewalks, public roads, public buildings)
  
• 2 years — wrongful death

We gather:

• Surveillance footage
  
• Incident reports
  
• Maintenance logs
  
• Inspection policies
  
• Store sweep logs
  
• Employee testimony
  
• Weather data
  
• Lighting measurements
  
• Engineering analysis
  
• Expert testimony
  

Most premises liability cases turn on notice, inspection, and safety protocols — BLG attacks these aggressively.