Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
I asked a question on this website about a coat hanger, a fire alarm sprinkler, and accidental triggering of the sprinkler, what I forgot to mention is that it occurred in an apartment bedroom. Upon researching such instances afterwards, I realized that this is a common occurrence in hotel rooms which is why they have those little signs that instruct guests not to hang clothes on the sprinklers. However, there are no such warnings in apartments does that make a difference in regards to being held liable for damages?
2 Answers from Attorneys
I stand by my previous answer: If your homeowner's or renters' insurance (or that of your parents) won't pay, it's on you. Prudent apartment renters buy renters' insurance.
As to your argument that failing to display an iconic "No hanging clothes from the fire sprinkler" warning sign should be a defense to water damage liability claims against people who hang their clothes from the fire sprinkler, you have sufficient Chutzpah that you should consider applying to law school.
The legal standard of the "reasonable person" would assume that in a privately owned bedroom there would not be warning signs up and that hanking anything from the ceiling would be potentially dangerous, certainly possibly causing damage to the ceiling and/or object being used to hang something from.
Mr. Stone is correct that you were negligent and are liable for the resulting damages.
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