Expert Witness for Negligent Security and Premises Liability Cases
Tricorn provides court-qualified expert witness services for plaintiff and defense attorneys, insurance carriers, and property owners involved in negligent security and premises liability litigation. Our experts hold active Florida Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Practitioner (FCP) designations, maintain current CPTED certifications, and have conducted over 300 property security assessments across Florida. We provide objective, evidence-based analysis grounded in direct field experience, documented property conditions, measurable security standards, and the requirements of Florida Statute 768.0706.
Court-Qualified Security Expertise
A negligent security expert witness evaluates whether a property's security measures, environmental conditions, and management practices met the applicable standard of care at the time of a criminal incident. The analysis typically addresses foreseeability, adequacy of lighting and access control, compliance with industry standards, and in Florida multifamily cases, compliance with Florida Statute 768.0706.
Tricorn's expert witness work is grounded in direct CPTED assessment practice. Reports are prepared to meet Daubert and applicable state admissibility standards and are structured to support case theory development, summary judgment motions, deposition, and trial testimony.
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What Our Expert Analysis Covers
Expert witness analysis covers environmental conditions, security practices, industry standards, and foreseeability in premises liability cases.
Foreseeability Analysis
Evaluation of prior similar crimes, neighborhood crime history, police call records, and notice to the property owner to assess whether a criminal act was reasonably foreseeable under applicable state law.
Lighting and Environmental Conditions
CPTED and Property Design
Application of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles to evaluate natural surveillance, access control, territorial reinforcement, and perimeter security relative to industry standards.
Security Operations and Surveillance
Review of security officer deployment, patrol logs, post orders, training records, CCTV placement and retention, access control systems, and management oversight of third-party security vendors.
Florida Statute 768.0706 Compliance
Analysis of whether a Florida multifamily property substantially complied with Statute 768.0706 security requirements and whether the presumption against liability applies.
Need professional analysis for a security negligence case?
Who requests Expert Witness Services
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Plaintiff Attorneys
Attorneys representing plaintiffs may request expert analysis when evaluating whether property conditions contributed to an incident.
Defense Attorneys
Defense attorneys may request expert review when evaluating security conditions and management practices at a property.
Insurance Carriers
Insurance professionals may request expert review when evaluating liability exposure related to security conditions.
Property Owners
Property owners may request independent analysis of property conditions in connection with litigation.
Management Companies
Management companies may request expert review of security practices and environmental conditions at managed properties.
Who conducts the assessment and authors the report?
Every Tricorn assessment report is authored and presented by Mario deGraaf (FCP, CPD), a certified CPTED assessor with 17+ years of military intelligence experience and hundreds of completed security and CPTED assessments. Mario works directly with legal teams to present findings, respond to discovery requests, and support case strategy in premises liability matters.Every Tricorn CPTED assessment is conducted by a Florida Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Practitioner (FCP) designated by the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute.
Field assessments are conducted by our FCP-certified team including Robert Gaskell (FCP), a U.S. Air Force veteran with 100+ completed assessments, Kyle Scroggins (FCP) with 14+ years in multifamily security, and Seth Ryan (FCP), a U.S. Army Special Operations Ranger and former law enforcement officer. Every assessment is documented to withstand cross-examination and challenge by opposing counsel. Meet the full team.
Our Review Process
Conflict Check and Engagement
We run a conflict check against prior engagements and confirm scope, rate, and retention terms before reviewing any case materials.
Case Material and Site Review
We review incident reports, police reports, prior complaints and crime data, depositions, property documentation, photographs, and security policies. When case circumstances allow, our FCP-certified practitioner also conducts a site inspection including a nighttime evaluation of lighting and visibility conditions.
Preliminary Opinion and Expert Report
We provide a preliminary written assessment of key issues before preparing a full expert report. The final report is prepared to meet Daubert and applicable state admissibility standards, documenting observations, analysis, opinions, and the basis for each opinion.
Deposition and Trial Testimony
We appear for deposition and trial testimony, and provide preparation support to retaining counsel throughout the litigation.
Locations We Serve for Negligent Security Case Review
Tricorn provides expert witness analysis for negligent security and premises liability cases nationwide, with deep experience in Florida multifamily and commercial matters.
Retain a negligent security expert witness
Tell us about your property and you'll receive scope, timeline, and a fixed quote within one business day. No obligation.
Why attorneys retain Tricorn
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from attorneys and counsel retaining expert witnesses
A negligent security expert witness evaluates whether a property's security measures, environmental conditions, and management practices met the applicable standard of care at the time of a criminal incident. The expert reviews case materials, inspects the property, and prepares written reports and testimony on foreseeability, causation, and compliance with industry standards and applicable statutes.
Retain an expert as early as possible, ideally before depositions of property owners, managers, and security personnel. Early retention allows the expert to guide discovery requests, identify documents and witnesses that support case theory, and evaluate site conditions before they change.
Yes. Tricorn accepts engagements from both plaintiff and defense counsel. Each case is evaluated independently on the merits. We run conflict checks against prior engagements before accepting any new matter.
Yes. We review case materials, incident reports, and property conditions to provide an independent expert analysis.
Foreseeability is typically established through evidence of prior similar crimes on or near the property, police call history, industry knowledge of area crime conditions, and any prior notice the property owner received. Our analysis evaluates each of these factors against the standard of care applicable in the jurisdiction.
Florida Statute 768.0706 establishes a presumption against liability for multifamily property owners who substantially comply with specified security measures and maintain a current CPTED assessment. In Florida multifamily cases, the presumption is often a central issue. Our analysis evaluates whether the property met the statute's requirements at the time of the incident.
Tricorn's practitioner holds the Florida Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Practitioner (FCP) designation from the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute, along with direct experience conducting security and CPTED assessments across multifamily, commercial, and HOA properties. Full CV available on request.
Yes. Tricorn accepts expert witness engagements nationwide. CPTED principles and premises liability standards are largely consistent across jurisdictions, though statutory frameworks like Florida 768.0706 are state-specific.
Other Services We Provide
CPTED Assessments
Security Lighting Assessments
Florida Statute 768.0706 Compliance
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