Mary Robles vs. County of Los Angeles, et al.
Jury Trial March 14, 2001
Christopher E. Faenza
An alleged trip-and-fall accident occurred wherein plaintiff allegedly tripped over a raised portion of sidewalk and then fell into a parked car, fracturing her wrist. Plaintiff contended that the raised portion of sidewalk was a dangerous condition and that the County of Los Angeles constructive notice of the defect. Plaintiff further contended that the county's inspection and repair policies were improper and had they been done differently, the alleged defect should have been observed. Christopher contended that the county had no notice of the raised portion of the sidewalk. It was established through plaintiff's liability experts that plaintiff did not know of one other county or city that performed any type of routine sidewalk inspection. Further, plaintiff could not show that the county's repair method was any different from any county or city in the neighboring area. Finally, Christopher argued that if the plaintiff tripped, it was due to her own carelessness, and therefore, she was solely responsible for her injury. The trial lasted for six days and had eight witnesses. The jury deliberated for two hours and returned a defense verdict. There had been an offer of $10,000 and a demand at trial for $56,000.