AGC is extremely pleased to announce that judgment in favor of the City of Montebello was achieved in a lawsuit alleging wrongful death resulting from a dangerous condition of the City's property.  Plaintiffs alleged that the decedent struck a lift in the sidewalk that caused her electric wheelchair to tip over, resulting in her untimely death.

In defending the case, Senior Partner Sharon Medellin took the deposition of the only witness to the incident.  When questioned on the manner in which decedent fell, he testified that decedent rode her wheelchair into an adjacent tree well and that the wheelchair tipped over as she attempted to get "unstuck" by manipulating the controls.  Consequently, Ms. Medellin filed a Motion for Summary Judgment seeking dismissal of Plaintiffs' Complaint on the ground that a condition of the sidewalk did not cause decedent to end up in the tree well and Plaintiffs did not allege that the tree well itself amounted to a dangerous condition. The Court agreed with her legal arguments and granted the Motion for Summary Judgment.

Sharon Medellin is assigned to AGC's litigation practice group and specializes in the defense of civil rights, employment, and premises liability claims on behalf of the firm's municipal clients. Ms. Medellin can be reached at (562) 699-5500 or smedellin@agclawfirm.com.