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Over the last few years, Mountain View has been hit with several lawsuits alleging negligence and dangerous conditions on public property. Now the city has agreed to settle two of those suits for a total of $675,000.
In a unanimous vote, the City Council approved two settlements – one for $400,000 and another for $275,000 – at its Dec. 9 meeting.
The payments will come out of the city’s liability insurance fund, which covers claims, settlements and litigation costs, according to the council report.
$400,000 settlement in slippery sidewalk suit
Mountain View has agreed to pay $400,000 to Ella Kobzanets, who slipped and fell on a city sidewalk in the downtown area in 2022. Kobzanets was 70 years old at the time of the incident.
In 2023, Kobzanets filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court alleging that the city of Mountain View and J.J.R. Construction created dangerous conditions for pedestrians by not properly installing or maintaining a sidewalk ramp at 812 W. Dana St.
According to the lawsuit, the ramp should have been placed five feet away from the building, instead of four feet, and was not sufficiently marked for pedestrians. The suit also claimed the ramp was wet and covered by seeds and branches, which created additional hazards.
As a result of the fall, Kobzanets suffered from serious injuries, including a “displaced left hip femoral neck fracture,” the lawsuit said.
After the Dec. 9 council meeting, Gene Halavanau, Kobzanets’ attorney, told the Voice that some of the formalities of the settlement have not yet been finalized and declined to provide further comment until then.
$275,000 settlement in metal spike suit
Mountain View also agreed to pay $275,000 to Alice Okuno, who tripped and fell over a metal spike protruding from a stairway step in Cuesta Park in 2021.
In 2022, Okuno filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court alleging that the city of Mountain View failed to address or remove the stake or warn people about it. The lawsuit also claimed that the city failed to comply with disability requirements. Okuno suffered serious injuries as a result of the fall, according to the lawsuit.
Okuno’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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