remember the American caselaw about property maintenance a little kid got hurt and were trespassing. … led to the thief hurting themself and having to to have the homeowner pay the bills for the medical stuff > In the lesser-known case, an 18-year-old climbed onto a roof at a Redding, Calif., high school in 1982 to steal a $35 floodlight. The young man fell 27 feet through the skylight and was permanently disabled. His lawyers obtained a $260,000 up-front settlement with the school district’s insurer, plus $1,500 a month, for the rest of the man’s life. > > The settlement was ridiculed. But consider that the skylight had been painted over. It wasn’t visible. Nine months earlier, a 19-year-old man on his way to a swimming pool at another high school in the same school district fell through a painted-over skylight and died. > > <cite>[The Burglar Who Fell Through the Roof and Other ‘Frivolous’ Personal Injury Lawsuits | Roger Davidheiser](https://rogerdavidheiser.com/burglar-fell-roof-frivolous-personal-injury-lawsuits)</cite> - - - > There are specific cases where an intruder onto your property may actually be able to sue you for negligence and have a legitimate case. > > In the case of homeowners with swimming pools, or treehouses, or other features attractive to children, it is even legally required to take steps to prevent children from easily trespassing. > > while putting up a fence to keep a child from sneaking into a swimming pool is legally approved—and even required—setting up a shotgun to shoot that same child once the child is on the property could result in a personal injury or even wrongful death lawsuit from the parents. > > <cite>[Premises Liability - Unbelievably, Sometimes A Trespasser Can Sue A Homeowner - News](https://www.justicepays.com/news/sometimes-a-trespasser-can-sue-a-homeowner)</cite>