Houston Woman Awarded $20 Million in Apartment Rape Lawsuit

A jury in the city of Houston recently awarded $20 million in financial damages to a victim of rape after she sued her former apartment complex because they did not adequately inform residents about sexual attacks that had previously occurred on their property. The woman who won the apartment rape lawsuit lived at a complex called The Promenade Cullen Park – she was not identified.

The brutal attack occurred at the west Houston apartment complex. The man from her apartment complex raped her for more than 10 hours. According to the lawsuit filed by the rape victim, management at the apartment was aware of a break-in which had occurred at the apartment next door to the rape victim’s apartment.

Previous Attempted Rape Never Reported to Apartment Residents

The previous break-in, in which a man attempted and failed to rape the resident, occurred only a few weeks before the woman was brutalized and raped at her apartment. While the apartment officials were aware of the previous sexual assault, they did not notify their tenants about the earlier attack.

The victim who filed the apartment rape lawsuit lived alone and renewed her lease soon after the unreported attempted rape incident occurred near her. She was not told about the attempted rape which occurred in such close proximity to her apartment. The apartment officials had issued a notice that an apartment was broken into which is a similar announcement that would be issued if a bicycle or TV was stolen.

The notice from apartment officials failed to mention that a burglary occurred, or that there had been an attempted rape on the tenant. The apartment rape lawsuit was filed in 2010 seeking damages for negligence and deceptive trade practices by the apartment complex.

The rape victim continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The victim was awarded $7 million for physical pain and mental anguish, $5 million for future mental anguish, and $8 million for conduct forbidden by the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The victim hoped that the apartment management would change their policy of notification. The goal is to ensure that the same apartment rape does not occur to any other victims, and she wanted the jury to acknowledge the fact that what the apartment management had done (not alerting tenants of the attempted rape) was wrong.

Call today for a free and confidential legal Apartment Assault consultation The atrocities described in the above account are horrific and disturbing. This terrible incident should have never happened, and it would not have happened if the apartment management had been more proactive in guaranteeing the security of its tenants. Landlords have a legal obligation to provide their tenants with a reasonable level of security.

Apartment Complex Rape Lawsuit Lawyer

If you or a loved one has suffered from such an unconscionable act at an apartment complex, you may be entitled to financial compensation through an negligence-based apartment rape lawsuit. Please call today for your completely free and confidential consultation.

 Mr. Willis is a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and licensed in Texas and New York with a National Presence with the Highest Available Peer Review Rating of AV. All cases are taken on handled on a Contingency Fee Contract, which means no attorneys fees or case expenses charged to you, unless recover a recovery. Call 24/7 Toll Free 1-800-883-9858