Newsletter

Strengthening Sidewalk Risk Management: Join Our Upcoming Roundtable

The California JPIA is hosting a virtual Risk Managers Roundtable on Monday, June 22, at 12:00 p.m., focused on sidewalk trip-and-fall claims, which remain one of the most common and challenging sources of liability for public agencies. While these claims are often difficult to defend, many can be mitigated or even avoided through proactive inspection practices and strong documentation.

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This 90-minute interactive event, From Sidewalks to Settlements: Using Documentation to Win Trip-and-Fall Claims, will help Authority members build a more defensible approach to sidewalk risk management by exploring how agencies can shift from a reactive claims response to a proactive, data-driven approach. Attendees will gain practical insight into thorough inspection programs, detailed recordkeeping, tracking maintenance activities, and photo documentation to strengthen defensibility—especially when addressing common challenges like lack of notice.

What You’ll Learn

• Why sidewalk claims are often lost and how improved documentation can influence outcomes
• What effective inspection and maintenance records look like in practice
• How historical data can reshape litigation dynamics and support defensibility
• How to make the cost-benefit case for investing in proactive sidewalk programs

By the end of the session, attendees will come away with actionable strategies to enhance their agency’s inspection protocols, strengthen documentation practices, and reduce long-term liability exposure.

Why This Matters

In many sidewalk claims, the issue isn’t whether a defect existed; it’s whether the agency can demonstrate that it took reasonable steps to identify and address the defect. Agencies that maintain organized, consistent, and well-documented inspection records are far better positioned to defend against claims and reduce overall exposure.

This roundtable provides an opportunity to learn from peers, explore practical solutions, and reinforce best practices that can make a measurable difference in both claims outcomes and program effectiveness.

For more information or to register, please visit the Roundtable webpage.

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