Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin is pleased to announce that Senior Partner Roger A. Colvin has successfully defended the City of Pomona (the “City”) in a recent case, Sanchez et al. v. Lopez et al.
The lawsuit arose out of a traffic accident that occurred in the City. At the time of the accident, the traffic signals were malfunctioning and, as a result, two vehicles entered the intersection at the same time. Plaintiffs claimed that the City was liable for their injuries, alleging that the inoperable traffic signals created a dangerous condition.
However, Mr. Colvin filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, arguing to Judge Robert A. Dukes of Los Angeles Superior Court that the inoperative traffic signals did not create a dangerous condition on public property. Mr. Colvin noted that under the California Vehicle Code, an intersection with inoperable traffic signals automatically becomes a four-way traffic stop. Therefore, Mr. Colvin argued that the City could not be charged with foreseeing that a motorist would disobey traffic laws.
On May 26, 2009, Judge Dukes agreed with Mr. Colvin’s arguments, and granted the City’s pre-trial Motion for Summary Judgment. Accordingly, the City was dismissed from the case. Due to Mr. Colvin’s successful motion, the City saved an estimated $150,000 in expenses, employees’ time and resources, expert witness fees, and attorneys’ fees which the City would have incurred had it remained a Defendant in the case and required to proceed to trial.
Roger A. Colvin heads AGC’s Litigation Department and brings over thirty years of litigation experience in the fields of police misconduct and civil rights proceedings. For more information regarding AGC’s Litigation Department, please contact Roger A. Colvin at rcolvin@agclawfirm.com or (562) 699-5500.
