Louisiana Slip and Fall Settlement Calculator
Get a rough estimate of what a Louisiana slip-and-fall claim might be worth. Enter your medical bills and losses and answer a few plain questions — the tool weighs how provable the owner's fault is and your share of fault. This is an estimate to understand the factors, not a prediction or an offer.
This is a rough estimate, not a prediction or an offer.
Slip-and-fall claims turn on proving the property owner was at fault — there is no formula that predicts a settlement. This shows the factors and a wide range to help you understand value. Consult a Louisiana premises-liability attorney about your case.
Enter the medical bills and losses to see an estimated range
The multiplier method is a rough starting point, not a guarantee. Slip-and-fall value depends most on proving the owner's fault and on the available insurance. An attorney is the only way to value your specific claim. This tool is not legal advice and RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
How the Estimate Works
No tool can predict a slip-and-fall settlement. This calculator applies the multiplier method (pain and suffering as a multiple of your medical bills), then does something the thin online calculators skip: it weighs how provable the owner's fault is. A spill the staff caused or knew about is worth far more than a hazard nobody can show the owner knew about. It then estimates your own comparative fault from a few plain questions and applies Louisiana's rules.
Proving the Owner Was at Fault
Premises liability has four parts: a dangerous condition existed, the owner knew or should have known about it, they failed to fix it or warn you, and that caused your injury. The middle part — notice — is where most slip-and-fall cases are won or lost. Strong evidence (an incident report, photos of the hazard, surveillance video, cleaning and maintenance logs, prior complaints) is what turns a claim from a token offer into real money. A posted warning sign or cone works against you: it shows the owner did warn, and it makes the hazard "open and obvious," shifting fault onto you.
Louisiana Premises-Liability Rules
Open-and-obvious hazards. In Louisiana, an open-and-obvious hazard is only a comparative-fault factor (it reduces, not bars). Louisiana treats an open-and-obvious hazard as a BREACH/risk-utility factor, NOT a no-duty bar. The controlling case is Farrell v. Circle K Stores, Inc., 2022-00849 (La. 3/17/23), 359 So.3d 467, where the Louisiana Supreme Court held that whether a condition is "open and obvious" goes to whether the landowner BREACHED its duty (not to whether a duty exists). It is weighed within the four-factor risk-utility test — (1) the utility of the condition, (2) the likelihood and magnitude of harm (which includes the obviousness/apparentness of the condition), (3) the cost of preventing the harm, and (4) the nature of the plaintiff's activity — and is then folded into Louisiana's comparative-fault allocation under Civ. Code art. 2323. Farrell clarified earlier cases (Broussard v. State, 2012-1238 (La. 4/5/13); Bufkin v. Felipe's, 2014-0288 (La. 10/15/14)). So obviousness reduces or defeats recovery only through the breach and comparative-fault analysis, not by negating duty.
Ice and snow. Louisiana applies an ordinary reasonable-care duty to ice and snow, so a poorly-maintained walkway can support a claim. Louisiana does NOT recognize the Illinois/Ohio-style "natural accumulation" no-duty rule for ice, snow, or rainwater (snow/ice is rare statewide, so the issue is litigated mainly as rainwater). An ordinary reasonable-care duty applies under La. Civ. Code arts. 2317.1 (defects in things in one's custody) and 2322 (buildings), and for merchants under La. R.S. 9:2800.6, which imposes a duty to "exercise reasonable care to keep his aisles, passageways, and floors in a reasonably safe condition." A plaintiff must still prove the condition posed an unreasonable risk of harm and that the defendant created it or had actual/constructive ("temporal element") notice — but there is no categorical exemption for naturally accumulating water/ice.
Your Fault & the Deadline to File
Louisiana follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). Your award is reduced by your share of fault, and you recover nothing once you are 51% or more at fault.
As of January 1, 2026, Louisiana is a MODIFIED-51 comparative fault state. La. Civ. Code art. 2323, as amended by Acts 2025, No. 15 (eff. Jan. 1, 2026), now bars recovery if the injured person's negligence is "equal to or greater than fifty-one percent." Below 51%, damages are reduced in proportion to the claimant's percentage of fault. IMPORTANT HISTORICAL NOTE: before Jan. 1, 2026, Louisiana was a PURE-COMPARATIVE state (recovery reduced by fault with no bar). Claims arising from injuries before that date may still be governed by the prior pure-comparative rule — date of injury matters. Fault is allocated among all persons contributing to the loss, parties or not; reduction does not apply against an intentional tortfeasor.
Louisiana generally requires a slip-and-fall lawsuit to be filed within 2 years of the fall (the statute of limitations). Two-year liberative prescription for delictual (tort) actions under La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1 (Acts 2024, No. 423, eff. July 1, 2024), which replaced the former one-year period in repealed arts. 3492/3493. Prescription commences from the day injury or damage is sustained. Causes of action arising before July 1, 2024 generally remain subject to the prior one-year period. Source: Farrell v. Circle K Stores, Inc., 2022-00849 (La. 3/17/23), 359 So.3d 467 (open and obvious = breach/risk-utility factor, not a duty bar); La. R.S. 9:2800.6 (merchant slip-and-fall duty and notice elements); La. Civ. Code arts. 2317.1 & 2322 (premises/building defect duty); La. Civ. Code art. 2323, as amended by 2025 La. Acts No. 15 (HB 431) (modified comparative fault — 51% bar to recovery, eff. Jan. 1, 2026); La. R.S. 13:5101 et seq. & 13:5106 (Governmental Claims Act — no pre-suit notice, $500k cap).
- Open-and-obvious is NOT a get-out-of-jail card for property owners in Louisiana: after Farrell v. Circle K (La. 2023), an obvious hazard only reduces recovery through the breach/risk-utility analysis and comparative fault — it does not erase the owner's duty.
- IMPORTANT CHANGE: Louisiana is no longer a pure comparative-fault state. Effective January 1, 2026, La. Civ. Code art. 2323 (amended by 2025 La. Acts No. 15) adopts MODIFIED comparative fault with a 51% bar — a slip-and-fall victim found 51% or more at fault recovers nothing; below that, damages are reduced by the victim's own percentage of fault. (Accidents before Jan. 1, 2026 still fall under the old pure-comparative rule, and there is no reduction where an intentional tortfeasor is partly at fault.)
- There is no special 'natural accumulation' rule for ice, snow, or rainwater — owners and merchants owe an ordinary reasonable-care duty; merchant cases are governed by La. R.S. 9:2800.6, which requires proof of an unreasonable risk plus actual or constructive notice (the 'temporal element').
- Suing the government is different but there is NO short pre-suit notice deadline: Louisiana's Governmental Claims Act (La. R.S. 13:5101 et seq.) imposes no notice-of-claim requirement, only a $500,000 damages cap and forum rules.
- Watch the prescription clock: most slip-and-fall claims (including against public entities) must be filed within 2 years for injuries on or after July 1, 2024 (previously a tight 1-year period under former Civ. Code art. 3492).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is my Louisiana slip and fall claim worth?
No one can tell you a number in advance, and slip-and-fall is harder than a car accident because you must prove the owner was at fault. A rough estimate adds your economic damages and a pain-and-suffering multiplier, discounts it by how provable the owner's fault is, and reduces it for your share of fault under Louisiana's modified comparative negligence (51% bar) rule. The available insurance also caps recovery — an attorney is the only way to value your specific case.
Does a "wet floor" sign hurt my Louisiana claim?
Yes, usually. A posted warning shows the owner satisfied part of their duty to warn and makes the hazard "open and obvious," which shifts fault onto you. In Louisiana, an open-and-obvious hazard is only a comparative-fault factor (it reduces, not bars). It reduces — and sometimes defeats — a claim, but not always (a hidden or inadequate sign may not help the owner).
Can I sue for a fall on ice or snow in Louisiana?
Louisiana applies an ordinary reasonable-care duty to ice and snow, so a poorly-maintained or unaddressed icy walkway can support a claim, subject to your own comparative fault. This is general information, not legal advice — consult a Louisiana attorney.
How long do I have to file in Louisiana?
Generally 2 years from the fall. Two-year liberative prescription for delictual (tort) actions under La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1 (Acts 2024, No. 423, eff. July 1, 2024), which replaced the former one-year period in repealed arts. 3492/3493. Prescription commences from the day injury or damage is sustained. Causes of action arising before July 1, 2024 generally remain subject to the prior one-year period.
Is this calculator accurate?
It is a rough estimate to show the factors that drive value — not a prediction or an offer. Slip-and-fall outcomes vary enormously and depend on proving fault and on the available insurance. Treat any number here as a ballpark and consult a Louisiana attorney.
Disclaimer
This estimator is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a prediction of any outcome. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm. The value of a slip-and-fall claim can only be assessed by a licensed attorney reviewing your specific facts.