City settles trip-and-fall case

GLENDALE— A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against the city after attorneys reached an undisclosed settlement with a trip-and-fall victim, according to court records.

The victim, Eddie Hovasapyan, was seeking $25,000 from the city after claiming that he tripped and fell on a bump in the sidewalk in the 300 block of East Stocker Avenue on Aug. 23, 2008.

Hovasapyan’s attorney, Freeman Butland, declined to comment about the lawsuit or the settlement.

After Hovasapyan fell, he went to the emergency room at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center where he got X-rays that showed torn ligaments, the lawsuit states.

He filed a lawsuit nearly a year later against the city, claiming he suffered lost wages in addition to a damaged knee.

Hovasapyan’s attorney claimed the city “failed to meet the duty of care that they owed [Hovasapyan], and were negligent in maintaining and controlling the premises at the location.”

The city is also handling another trip-and-fall case filed June 10, 2008, that has not been settled.

Glendale resident Zahra Shayegh was walking in an alley in the 200 block of West Loraine Street when she allegedly tripped and fell on a 6-inch-wide pothole, according to the lawsuit.

She fractured her left knee and tore her shoulder tendon, said her attorney, Harry Kaladjian.

“She went through the claim process,” her attorney said. “She did the right thing.”

Soon after filing the claim, the city repaired the pothole and denied it, her attorney said.

Shayegh then filed a lawsuit against the city, seeking more than $25,000 in damages.