I left a bar and was attacked in the parking lot by two men who had been fighting inside about a Yankees-Red Sox game on TV. Can I sue the bar?

The owner of a bar or restaurant may, under some circumstances, be responsible for injuries caused by the criminal conduct of a third person — for example, if the owner contributed to the conduct by serving the assailant too many drinks. Also, if a bar has a history of fights or other violent crimes, so that the owner is on notice that altercations like this might happen, the owner might have an obligation to try to prevent such occurrences by hiring a “bouncer” or other security personnel, installing lights in the parking lot, or taking other safety measures.

Source: Michael J. Harris and Elizabeth N. Mulvey practice at Crowe & Mulvey in Boston. They can be contacted at mharris@crowemulvey.com and emulvey@crowemulvey.com.