Can I Sue for Being Shot or Stabbed in Boston?

Can I sue for being shot or stabbed in Boston?

Often, yes. If you were shot or stabbed on a Boston property — an apartment complex, bar or nightclub, parking garage, store, hotel, or transit stop — and the owner failed to provide the reasonable security a foreseeable risk called for, Massachusetts law may let you hold that owner financially responsible through a negligent-security claim. You are not suing for the crime itself; you are suing the property owner for the security failures that made a foreseeable attack possible. This is separate from any criminal case against the attacker.

Boston negligent-security law — the short version

Boston cases are governed by Massachusetts law. Massachusetts judges foreseeability on the totality of the circumstances, with the property’s history of similar crime central (Whittaker). A negligent-security lawsuit here is generally filed in the Suffolk County Superior Court (Suffolk County). For the full Massachusetts standard — deadlines, how fault is shared, and what you can recover — see our Massachusetts negligent security page.

Public safety in Boston

Boston recorded its fewest homicides since 1957 in 2024, with shootings near historic lows; 2025 saw a modest rise off that record-low base but still among the lowest totals in two decades. Serious violence remains concentrated in a few neighborhoods. A negligent-security case rests on the history of prior crime at the specific property, not on citywide trends.

Where these cases happen in Boston

In Boston, these claims commonly arise in the downtown and Theater District nightlife corridors, in dense mixed-use areas, at MBTA transit hubs and their parking facilities, and in the police districts that carry a higher share of violent crime such as Roxbury and Mattapan. Common property types are bars, nightclubs and late-night licensed venues, apartment complexes and their common areas, parking garages, transit property, convenience stores and gas stations, hotels, and university housing.

Good to know in Boston

A Boston negligent-security case is filed in the Suffolk County Superior Court. The City of Boston’s Licensing Board imposes affirmative security-staffing duties on nightclubs and venues licensed for late-night entertainment — including the hiring, training, and supervision of security both inside the premises and at the doors — a local standard that can be central to a claim against a nightlife venue.

Deadlines for a Boston case

• Negligence / personal injury: generally three years from the date of the incident from the date of the incident.
• Wrongful death: generally three years from the date of death.

In Massachusetts a wrongful-death claim is treated as derivative of the victim’s own injury claim, so the deadline can turn on the underlying injury — it is important to confirm your specific deadline early. Surveillance footage and other evidence disappear quickly, so it is important to act fast.

Why Boston victims choose The Haggard Law Firm

The firm has handled nearly 500 negligent-security cases nationwide and secured the largest negligent-security verdict in U.S. history ($102.7 million). We help Boston crime victims and their families with no fee unless we win.

How we handle a Massachusetts case — working with local counsel

The Haggard Law Firm is based in Coral Gables, Florida, and Michael A. Haggard is licensed to practice law in Florida. Mr. Haggard is not licensed in Massachusetts. Negligent security and crime-victim litigation is the firm’s core focus, and because of the national reputation the firm has built in this specific area, Mr. Haggard regularly works on Massachusetts cases as co-counsel with a locally licensed Massachusetts attorney, seeking admission pro hac vice (for the individual case) where the court’s rules permit. Any Massachusetts matter would be handled together with local counsel admitted in Massachusetts.

If you were shot, stabbed, or lost a loved one to a preventable crime in Massachusetts, you can still reach out to us directly. We will review your case for free and, where appropriate, associate with a qualified Massachusetts attorney to pursue it.

This page is attorney advertising and general information only; it is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Michael A. Haggard is licensed in Florida. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.