Long Beach City Hit with $17.5M Verdict, $500K Settlement Over Potholes

The city of Long Beach’s failure to maintain its roads has led to significant financial and personal consequences, as highlighted by two recent cases involving dangerous potholes. These incidents underscore a broader issue of neglected infrastructure and its impact on public safety.

In one case, the Long Beach City Council approved a $500,000 settlement for Noel Laupua, a 43-year-old woman who fractured her ankle after stepping into a 10-inch-wide, 3-inch-deep pothole near Heartwell Park in March 2021. Despite evidence showing that the pothole had existed since at least 2015 and was marked with paint by city maintenance staff, no repairs were made. The city ultimately settled the case to avoid the high costs and uncertainty of a trial, which could have resulted in a payout in the millions. Minh Nguyen, one of Laupua’s attorneys, noted that the city has a history of losing significant sums in similar lawsuits, further emphasizing the risks of neglecting known hazards.

In a more severe case, a jury awarded $17.5 million to Eva Vallin, who developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) after fracturing her ankle in a series of potholes outside a Zaferia neighborhood supermarket in May 2020. Vallin’s injury required extensive medical treatment, and she now requires daily care for her incurable pain condition. Her attorney Arash Homampour argued that the city’s flawed curb design and failure to repair the hazardous loading zone for over a year constituted gross negligence. Despite regular visits to the site by city employees, no action was taken to address the potholes. The jury’s verdict highlighted the city’s failure to maintain safe conditions and its inadequate training of staff to report such hazards.

These cases reveal systemic issues in Long Beach’s approach to road maintenance. While the city has increased efforts to repair potholes following a particularly wet season, the long-standing neglect of hazardous conditions has already led to life-altering injuries and costly legal settlements. In both cases, the city’s failure to act on known dangers resulted in severe consequences for the victims and significant financial liabilities for taxpayers. Without a comprehensive and proactive approach to infrastructure maintenance, Long Beach risks further legal, financial, and public safety.