It was a gruesome case that resulted in life imprisonment for the killers. Now, the Corriann Cervantes case has reached a conclusion in civil court. The result is the largest premises liability award ever in the state of Texas. The suburban Houston apartment complex where the 15-year-old Cervantes was murdered has been found liable, with a judgment of over $6 million.
The apartment complex has an abandoned unit and Cervantes was invited there by 2 boys, one 17 years old and the other age 16. Cervantes was friendly with the 16-year-old, so she accepted the invitation.
The result was a ritualistic murder that sounds straight out of a crime novel. Both boys were captured, convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
But what about the apartment complex?
The responsibility of the landlord in premises liability is to maintain an appropriate standard of care. The nuances of the law generally pertain to a classic tenant-landlord relationship—i.e., the tenant cannot act in an obviously unsafe manner if liability is to apply.
This case was clearly different.
The legal team for the Cervantes family needed to establish that landlord’s negligence made the murder possible. They made their case to the Harris County jury, who returned the resounding verdict of $6.34 million.
A civil verdict will not erase the awful images of Corriann’s death that the Cervantes family must live with, but it does bring legal closure to this tragedy.