Woman Raped in Philadelphia Office Building Collects $6,000,000 Settlement from Landlord for LACK OF SECURITY

RISKAlert #1943?????May 17, 2024 ???Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nearly two years after?a woman was robbed and sexually assaulted inside an office building in Center City, the landlord settled a lawsuit agreeing to pay $6 million to the victim, officials said. The lawsuit claimed that the office building located near 13th and Arch streets had negligent security as the suspect was able to sneak into the building without being noticed by the guard who was stationed at the front desk in the lobby of the building.?

Even though the building requires everyone to be buzzed in by the security guard or the use of a key card to enter,?the attacker, identified as Willie Harris, was still able to get inside?and roam around, the lawsuit alleged. According to a statement made by the lawyers of the female victim, the office building had several security flaws at the time of the attack on July 5, 2022. The front desk where the security guard was sitting was positioned in a way in the lobby where the person on duty was unable to completely view the front door and stairwell unless they were watching the monitor that was showing a live surveillance feed.? The statement also explains that anyone could access the stairwell to the upper floors of the building because there wasn't a lock on the door leading to the stairs.

This allowed the attacker, Willie Harris, to use the stairwell to access the upper floors of the building, officials explained. He entered the office space on the eighth floor where he tried to rob a woman after asking her for another woman whom she did not know.? He then demanded she stay seated in a chair as he rummaged through the office, looking for items, Kearney said. The victim offered to give her earbuds and earrings to him in the hopes he would leave. The suspect became angry, police said, and he proceeded to beat and choke the woman repeatedly. Then, he raped her.

“Our client’s life has been forever changed by this brutal crime, which happened during business hours at work where she felt safe,” a Kline and Spector associate said. “But for the negligent security of the landlord and their security guard, this brutal attack would not have occurred. We hope that landlords in our city and elsewhere will realize the importance of having reasonable security to protect their tenants and employees, including from criminal acts of intruders. “

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