$1,000,000 Settlement Secured After Violent Assault Leaves Customer With Fractured Nose

A Routine Vehicle Return Turned Violent

What should have been a routine vehicle return turned into a life-changing act of violence for our client.

After returning a rental truck at a commercial rental facility in Long Beach, California, our client attempted to report mechanical concerns involving the vehicle. According to the evidence developed during litigation, the employee handling the return became confrontational during the interaction and refused to provide management information after our client requested assistance.

As our client attempted to leave the business, the employee suddenly rushed from behind the counter and launched a brutal physical attack. Surveillance footage and witness testimony later confirmed the assault was entirely one-sided and unprovoked. Our client was repeatedly punched in the face and head, causing him to suffer facial injuries

Emergency responders transported him to the hospital, where imaging revealed a fractured nose along with additional injuries.

Serious Injuries and a Long Recovery

What followed was not a quick recovery.

In the weeks and months after the assault, our client began experiencing persistent headaches, dizziness, neck pain, facial pain, sleep disruption, and post-concussion symptoms that significantly interfered with his daily life. He underwent neurological, orthopedic, ENT, and pain management treatment while continuing to struggle with the long-term effects of the attack.

The nasal fracture became particularly debilitating. Conservative treatment ultimately failed to resolve the breathing obstruction and deformity caused by the assault. Nearly a year later, our client underwent rhinoplasty and septoplasty surgery to repair the damage.

Litigation, Arbitration, and Mediation

The case quickly evolved into more than just an assault claim against an individual employee.

Attorneys for Samer Habbas & Associates pursued claims against the business itself after uncovering evidence supporting negligent hiring, retention, supervision theories. The litigation focused heavily on whether the business failed to protect customers from a dangerous employee with a known history of violent conduct.

The matter proceeded through active litigation before the defense successfully enforced an arbitration clause contained within the rental agreement. Even after the case was moved into arbitration, the firm continued aggressively pursuing discovery, medical evidence, and liability claims against the company.

The parties later attended mediation, but the matter did not immediately resolve. The case ultimately settled afterward while arbitration preparations were ongoing.

$1,000,000 Settlement Secured

Through continued litigation pressure and strategic case development, Samer Habbas & Associates secured a $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of the injured client.

“This was a brutal and completely unnecessary assault on a customer who was simply trying to report a safety concern,” said attorney Samer Habbas. “Businesses have a responsibility to protect the public from dangerous employees, and we fought hard to hold all responsible parties accountable for the devastating harm our client suffered.”

Cases involving violent assaults at businesses are often far more complicated than they initially appear. Liability may extend beyond the individual attacker to include negligent hiring practices, inadequate supervision, unsafe premises conditions, or failures to protect customers from foreseeable violence. Successfully pursuing these claims requires aggressive investigation, strategic litigation, and a willingness to continue fighting even when corporations attempt to limit accountability through arbitration clauses and procedural defenses.

Get Samer On Your Side®

If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries due to an assault, negligent security, or unsafe conditions at a business or commercial property, Samer Habbas & Associates can help.

The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for injury victims across California and is known for handling high-stakes injury and premises liability cases involving catastrophic harm.

Call (949) 727-9300

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