A trip to the mall can turn into a life-altering event in seconds. A slippery food court floor, a malfunctioning escalator, or a poorly lit parking area can leave a shopper with a broken bone, a head injury, or worse, and the medical bills and lost income that follow can pile up fast.
At Jae Lee Law, our Bergen County premises liability attorneys bring over 30 years of experience and more than 100 years of combined legal experience to every shopping mall injury case, with millions of dollars recovered for injured clients throughout New Jersey. Managing Partner Jae E. Lee is one of only three percent of New Jersey attorneys certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court, and our team communicates fluently in English, Korean, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Time-Sensitive – New Jersey Law Limits Your Window to File
New Jersey gives you two years from the date of your shopping mall injury to file a lawsuit.
Jae Lee Law brings over 30 years of experience, more than 100 years of combined legal experience, and a contingency fee structure, so you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
What Causes Shopping Mall Injuries in Bergen County?
Shopping malls draw heavy foot traffic every day, and busy common areas, aging equipment, and crowded parking lots create real hazards for shoppers who have every reason to expect a safe environment.
Slip-and-fall hazards: wet floors, spilled drinks, and freshly waxed surfaces near food courts and entrances create serious fall risks that fall under our broader slip-and-fall accidents practice.
Escalator and elevator defects: poorly maintained equipment can trap clothing, misalign steps, or stop suddenly without warning.
Negligent security: inadequate lighting, absent patrols, or unaddressed criminal activity in common areas and parking structures.
Parking lot hazards: potholes, poor lighting, snow and ice buildup, and vehicle collisions caused by drivers competing for spaces.
Falling merchandise or displays: improperly stacked inventory or unstable store displays that topple onto shoppers.
Each hazard requires different evidence to prove, and our investigation works to identify every party whose negligence contributed to your shopping mall injury.
Who Is Liable for a Shopping Mall Injury in Bergen County?
Liability for a shopping mall injury often depends on exactly where the accident happened. Injuries in common areas such as hallways, food courts, restrooms, or parking lots typically point to the mall’s owner or management company, since they hold responsibility for maintaining shared spaces.
An injury inside an individual store, however, may create a separate claim against that retailer, since store owners and their employees are responsible for conditions within their own leased space. When a mall relies on a third-party security company that fails to provide adequate patrols or respond to known hazards, that company may share liability as well, which is why our attorneys examine every negligent security angle before determining who caused your shopping mall injury.
National Safety Data
According to the National Safety Council, more than 10 million people were treated in hospital emergency departments for fall-related injuries in 2024, making falls the leading cause of nonfatal preventable injuries for nearly all age groups.
Retail properties in Bergen County, including Westfield Garden State Plaza, The Shops at Riverside, and Paramus Park Mall, draw heavy year-round crowds, and our team regularly handles claims arising from injuries at these and other area shopping centers.
What Is Malicious Prosecution at a Bergen County Shopping Mall?
New Jersey law gives store security a limited privilege, under N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11(e), to detain a suspected shoplifter for a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner if probable cause exists. When security staff exceed that privilege, detaining a shopper without probable cause, using excessive force, or holding someone for an unreasonable length of time, the shopper may have a claim for malicious prosecution or false imprisonment.
These accusations can damage a person’s reputation and cause significant stress even when no charges are ultimately filed. Our attorneys help clients who were wrongly accused of shoplifting pursue damages for the harm caused by an overzealous or unsupported detention.
Statute of Limitations for Bergen County Shopping Mall Injury Cases
New Jersey law gives you two years from the date of your shopping mall injury to file a personal injury lawsuit, under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. If a shopping mall accident proved fatal, surviving family members have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim, under N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3. Missing either deadline can permanently bar recovery, no matter how strong the case.
Some injuries are not obvious right away, and New Jersey’s discovery rule can affect when that two-year clock starts running. You can review the general filing deadlines through the New Jersey Courts self-help resources, but an attorney should confirm the deadline that applies to your specific case as soon as possible.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Shopping Mall Injury in Bergen County?
New Jersey law allows shopping mall injury victims to pursue compensation for both economic and non-economic damages, depending on the severity of the injury and the degree of the responsible party’s negligence.
Medical Expenses
Current treatment costs and reasonably expected future care
Lost Wages
Income missed while recovering, and diminished future earning capacity
Pain and Suffering
Compensation for the physical and emotional toll of your injury
Property Damage
Repair or replacement of damaged personal property from the fall
When a shopping mall injury results from especially reckless conduct, such as ignoring repeated hazard complaints, punitive damages may apply to punish the responsible party.
What Should You Do After a Shopping Mall Injury in Bergen County?
The steps you take immediately following a shopping mall injury can meaningfully affect the strength of your case.
Seek Medical Attention
Seek medical attention right away, even if your injuries do not seem severe at first. Medical records establish a direct link between the accident and your injuries.
Report the Incident
Ask mall or store management to complete an incident report, and request a copy before you leave the property.
Document the Scene
Take photographs of the hazard, your injuries, and the surrounding area, and gather contact information from any witnesses.
Contact an Attorney Promptly
The sooner an attorney is involved, the sooner evidence like surveillance footage and maintenance logs can be preserved before it is deleted or discarded.
Bergen County’s outdoor lots and walkways bring added winter risk, and our team can walk you through a property owner’s responsibilities during winter weather if your accident involved snow or ice. Vehicle collisions in crowded mall parking lots can also raise a separate car accident claim in addition to any premises liability case, and our attorneys can evaluate both types of claims together.
What Makes Jae Lee Law Different in Shopping Mall Injury Cases?
Our Bergen County premises liability attorneys bring over 30 years of experience and more than 100 years of combined legal experience to every shopping mall injury case. Managing Partner Jae E. Lee is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court, a distinction held by fewer than three percent of attorneys in the state, and our multilingual team communicates in English, Korean, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian. We investigate every available policy, from the mall’s coverage to a negligent security company’s coverage, to identify all sources of compensation, and we prepare every case for trial rather than settling quickly for a minimal amount.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shopping Mall Injuries in Bergen County
Schedule Your Free Shopping Mall Injury Consultation With Jae Lee Law
Shopping mall injury cases require prompt legal action to preserve evidence, meet filing deadlines, and counter arguments from large corporate property owners and their insurers. Managing Partner Jae E. Lee is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court, a distinction held by fewer than three percent of attorneys in the state, and our team has secured millions of dollars in recoveries over more than 30 years of practice for clients throughout Bergen County and New Jersey.
Contact Jae Lee Law today through our contact form to discuss your shopping mall injury case during a free consultation. We will evaluate your situation, explain your legal options, and outline how our proactive approach can help you pursue the compensation you need.
