The Haggard Law Firm’s Adam Finkel and Michael Haggard have secured a $1 Million policy limit settlement in a wrongful death negligent security case involving a murder at a hotel.
On October 16, 2021, 24-year-old Jamal Drummond was visiting the Holiday Inn Express along Metrocentre Boulevard attending a party, when he was shot and killed. Drummond was a father of two.
That evening, a trespasser arrived at the hotel and walked around the property looking for a woman.
He had a photo of the woman on his phone, asking guests if they saw her. This man remained on the property without any lawful purpose. He was never approached by staff. The trespasser spent time within the hotel making loud noises near the front desk. The hotel staff still ignored him.
As Jamal and other partygoers were outside, the trespasser approached them and asked if they saw the woman. While they had not seen her, they asked the man why he was walking through the parking lot, looking into car windows. The trespasser became irritated by the question. Soon after, he returned again, confronted Drummond and the others, and ultimately shot and killed Drummond.
After an extensive investigation by police, Claudio Valdiviezo Samayoa, 29, was arrested for the murder.
On behalf of Drummond’s Estate, Finkel and Haggard filed suit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against the owner and operator of the hotel, Metrolodging, LLC d/b/a Holiday Inn Express West Palm Beach Metro Centre, alleging that their negligence caused Drummond’s death. Specifically, the owners and operators of this Holiday Inn Express failed to reasonably train their employees, failed to reasonably secure the property with security guards, like many other nearby hotels did, and negligently failed to recognize that Samayoa had no business on the property and should have been removed.
While the hotel owners argued that they did nothing wrong, and highlighted that no similar crimes previously occurred at this property, and other than the occasional vehicle break-ins there was no real crime, they ultimately offered the full insurance policy limits of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) to settle the case.
Jamal Drummond is survived by his parents, Pauline and Glenford Drummond, and his two minor children.
The Haggard Law Firm has been at the forefront of successfully litigating negligent security cases for more than three decades. Contact Haggard Law Firm Attorneys
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