Jury gives $3 million to man injured on LA sidewalk. City still hasn’t fixed it

A Los Angeles jury has awarded wedding photographer Payman Heravi more than $3 million in damages after he suffered a serious injury from tripping on a damaged sidewalk in Woodland Hills back in 2019. The photographer tripped on a broken sidewalk in 2019 (Representational image) The verdict was delivered last week, leaving Heravi emotional in court. While the sum might suggest a reason to celebrate, he says the reality is far from joyous. “Right now, (the) pain is a lot,” Heravi was quoted as saying ABC7. “Right now, I can’t use my shoulder.” The incident that changed his careerIn December 2019, Heravi was walking along Ventura Boulevard when he glanced at a text on his phone. At that moment, he stumbled over a several-inch uplift in the pavement. His attorneys argued that the sidewalk’s severe unevenness was well known to the city, and that employees had seen the damage but failed to make repairs. “That should be fixed in a reasonable manner,” his attorney Max Lee said. “If that happened in this case, Mr Heravi would still be able to do what he loves and not be in constant pain every day.” The injury left Heravi’s left arm permanently limited in movement, despite three surgeries and years of physical therapy. He says he can no longer work as a wedding photographer. Jury’s decision and the ongoing hazardThe jury awarded him $3,028,026 for his losses and suffering. Despite the verdict, the section of sidewalk where the accident occurred still has not been repaired. (Also read: Sikh man, 70, brutally attacked with golf club in Los Angeles; police make one arrest) A costly problem for Los AngelesHeravi’s case is just one example of the city’s mounting costs from damaged sidewalks. In the past five years, Los Angeles has paid out more than $86 million to settle lawsuits linked to broken or uneven pavement. Recently, 7 On Your Side Investigates reported on an 85-year-old woman’s eight-year battle to get the sidewalk outside her Fairfax Drict home fixed. Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia has warned that liability lawsuits are draining public funds. In the most recent fiscal year, the city spent a record $286 million on such payouts—compared to just $35 million two decades ago.