$15,000 Settlement for Breach of Warranty of Habitability, Fraud, and Negligence—Roaches, Roaches, Everywhere…

The litigators of Gardner Trial Attorneys view the law as a crucial tool to level the playing field between powerful entities like apartment rental companies, insurance carriers and regular people. You may not have a large case to pursue, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have an aggressive legal advocate when you have been wronged.

GTA represented a young college student, renting his first apartment ever, in the Little Five Points neighborhood, who a large Atlanta apartment rental company and their insurance company tried to take advantage of. The amount of money involved was relatively small for a legal suit, just compensation for his rent and safety deposit as well as the value of his belongings, but it was a great deal of money to the young man, involved in a terrible situation through no fault of his own.

The apartment unit that the young man had signed a lease to occupy had previously been home to a hoarder. The apartment community, in fact, delayed his move-in date by a week because of the extensive cleaning that was required after the hoarder moved out. They did not share this information with our client. They also did not share the information that the unit had been badly infested by roaches. They had the unit sprayed, but did not verify that the infestation had been resolved before letting our client move in.

The unit appeared fine to the inexperienced young college student, so he moved all of his belongings in. He awoke the next morning to find himself and his things surrounded by hundreds of cockroaches. He immediately contacted the rental management company, which denied knowledge of the infestation and offered to have the unit treated. The infestation was too severe to be remedied before basically all the young man’s belongings; clothes, furniture, books, everything, had been ruined.

He moved out as quickly as possible, but the apartment rental company refused to refund his rent money and deposit, or pay for the possessions that had been ruined. Luckily, the young man had a cousin who had previously worked with Tim Gardner. He was familiar with the types of stonewalling tactics insurance companies employ in these types of situations. His cousin referred him to Gardner Trial Attorneys.

The facts of the case were straightforward, as initial research by Gardner Trial Attorneys revealed. The apartment complex had been negligent in exposing our client to significant risk in an unsafe and unclean unit, had withheld significant information from him, and had clearly breached the lease contract which required them to provide a habitable living space for the renter.

Tim Gardner is a former Vice President of Claims for an insurance company who has a unique understanding of insurance company policies, language, and tactics. The rental management company and their insurance company simply refused to do the right thing until legal pressure was brought to bear upon them.

Once the young man had a skilled attorney to advocate for him, however, they moved to settle the case quickly. Our client recovered the full value of his damaged property, his expenses in dealing with the situation, and all of the money he had paid the apartment rental company.

We take pride in the fact that many cases are referred to us by current and former clients. Insurance companies and opposing counsel know that Gardner Trial Attorneys prepare all cases as if they are going to trial. That is the only way to ensure a client’s financial recovery in a general negligence case such as this one.

General negligence cases follow a general rule: would a prudent person or company have allowed a situation to exist that resulted in an injury to you? If the answer is no, they are likely in the wrong and you are entitled to a settlement.

General negligence cases fall outside the scope of the typical automobile, trucking or premises liability accident. If you believe you have been a victim of medical malpractice, injured on a construction worksite, been harmed by a defective product, or been harmed by the negligence of someone else in any other way, you may have the basis for a successful general negligence claim.

Gardner Trial Attorneys is a leading plaintiffs’ law firm in metro Atlanta. We have successfully represented many clients who have been injured or suffered financial harm through no fault of their own in general negligence cases.

Our experience representing insurance companies sets us apart from other personal injury firms. Expert knowledge of insurance industry practices, differing types of coverages, and the law covering insurance companies allows Gardner Trial Lawyers to identify all possible avenues for insurance recovery.

Many law firms leave money on the table, either because they’re uncomfortable with the law at issue or because they don’t know some policies are available. We are creative in seeking to maximize financial compensation for clients.

We litigate aggressively and represent injured people and their families with compassion. Gardner Trial Attorneys are the advocates you need to achieve financial recovery.

It costs nothing to speak to an experienced Georgia general negligence lawyer. Give Gardner Trial Attorneys a call today and find out what your case is worth.