Los Angeles Trip and Fall Lawyers, Government Claims Have a 6-Month Deadline
Tripping on a broken sidewalk or government-owned property triggers special claim rules. Miss the six-month filing window and your case is gone. Call today.
4.5 ★ Google Rating · No Fee Unless We Win · Available 24/7
Former Insurance Defense
David Lederer and John Nojima defended insurers for years before switching sides. They know every strategy the adjuster will use to reduce your settlement.
No Fee Unless We Win
Zero upfront cost. We work on contingency, our fee comes from your recovery. If we do not win, you pay nothing.
Free Consultation 24/7
Call any time. We respond to urgent matters around the clock and take over all insurer communication the day you hire us.
What Premises Liability Clients Say
“John Nojima was very attentive and made sure that my well-being and my vehicle were well taken care of. Mr. Nojima and his staff often worked extended hours to accommodate my schedule.”
“LNTL is one of the best personal injury firms in Southern California. They handled my case with professionalism and genuine concern for my recovery.”
What the Insurance Company Will Not Tell You After a Trip and Fall
These are tactics we used when we defended insurers. Now we expose them.
Argue you were not watching where you were walking
The classic blame-the-victim defense for trip and fall cases. Insurers and government attorneys will claim you were distracted regardless of how obvious the defect was. We document the defect's visibility and location to counter this directly.
Invoke the trivial defect doctrine
California law has a "trivial defect" defense that excuses property owners from liability for very minor conditions. Insurers use this to fight claims on sidewalk cracks and small elevation changes. We document size, context, and prior complaints to defeat it.
Deny prior notice of the defect
Government entity liability requires that the agency had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition. When they say they had no notice, we subpoena 311 records, inspection logs, and prior complaint history to prove otherwise.
What to Do Immediately After a Trip and Fall in Los Angeles
- 1
Photograph the defect immediately, with something for scale, before anyone moves or repairs it.
- 2
Do not leave the scene until you have photos of the exact condition that caused your fall.
- 3
Report the incident in writing to the property owner or government agency that same day.
- 4
Get the names and numbers of any witnesses present at the scene.
- 5
Seek medical attention that day even if you think you are okay, adrenaline masks injury.
- 6
Preserve the shoes and clothing you were wearing as physical evidence of the impact.
- 7
Call us immediately, the 6-month government claim clock starts the day you fall.
How We Handle Your Trip and Fall Case
Free Consultation
We review your case at no charge. We will tell you honestly what your case is worth, whether the defect meets the legal threshold, and if a government entity is involved.
We Take Over
We send a representation letter to all insurers and, if applicable, file the required government claim within the 6-month window. From this point, they talk to us.
Investigation
We subpoena 311 records, city inspection logs, prior complaint history, and maintenance schedules. We hire a civil engineer if the defect needs professional measurement and documentation.
Demand and Negotiation
We send a demand package built to defeat every defense argument, trivial defect, no notice, comparative fault. We anticipate them because we used them.
Settlement or Trial
Most cases settle. When they don't, we litigate. Government entities know we take cases to verdict. That changes the negotiation.
Compensation You May Be Entitled To
California Law: Trip and Fall on Public Property
When you trip and fall on government-owned property in Los Angeles, the path to recovery is governed by the California Government Claims Act. Under Government Code section 945.4, you must file a written tort claim with the responsible government entity within 6 months of your injury. This is not the same as filing a lawsuit, it is a mandatory administrative step. Miss this window and California law bars your lawsuit entirely, regardless of how serious your injuries are.
Liability for the government entity itself flows through Government Code section 835, which makes a public entity liable for a dangerous condition of public property when the entity created the condition or had actual or constructive notice of it and failed to act within a reasonable time. Constructive notice means the condition existed long enough that the entity should have discovered it through reasonable inspection. Sidewalk defects that have existed for years, documented through 311 records and inspection logs, support constructive notice arguments. For private property defendants, the standard statute of limitations is two years under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1.
Adjacent private property owners also carry liability under Los Angeles Municipal Code section 62.104, which imposes sidewalk maintenance obligations on property owners abutting city sidewalks. When a residential or commercial property owner fails to maintain the adjacent sidewalk and that failure causes your injury, both the city and the private owner may be liable. We pursue all responsible parties simultaneously - identifying every source of recovery is standard in our investigation process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 6-month government claim deadline and when does it start?
Who is responsible for a broken sidewalk, the city or the adjacent property owner?
I fell in a government-owned parking lot. Can I sue the city?
What evidence do I need for a trip and fall case?
What if I'm told the defect was too small to matter legally?
Premises Liability Case Results
The following results are from actual Lederer & Nojima cases. Every case is different.
The case results displayed are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of any future case. Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Related Practice Areas
Injured on Public Property in Los Angeles? The 6-Month Deadline Is Real. Call Now.
No fee unless we win. Former insurance defense attorneys on your side.
Available 24/7 · No fee unless we win · (310) 312-1860