Joliet Pays $100,000 To Pedestrian Hurt At Theodore Street Crosswalk

JOLIET — In addition to reaching a $287,000 settlement with Joliet police officer Cassie Socha to resolve her 2018 federal lawsuit, the city of Joliet recently agreed to pay Joliet pedestrian LaTanya Holbrook a total of $100,000 to settle the negligence lawsuit that she filed in 2024 against the city of Joliet, Joliet Patch has learned.

According to her civil complaint, Holbrook was walking along Theodore Street and West Hampton Drive, which is near Shorewood and Plainfield, and "on and prior to April 28, 2023, there existed a hole in the ground in the crosswalk, caused by or manifested under the direct supervision of City of Joliet."

According to lawyer Susan Fransen of downtown Joliet's law firm Briskman, Briskman and Greenburg, "While plaintiff was crossing the street, within the crosswalk area, her foot went into this hole, causing her to lose balance and fall."

Holbrook's lawsuit noted the city of Joliet "owned, maintained and or controlled the crosswalk at all times ... the city of Joliet ... owed a great duty to exercise reasonable care and caution for the safety of the plaintiff and all pedestrians/vehicles who are intended users of the crosswalk."

The city of Joliet's interim corporation counsel Todd Lenzie filed a motion at the Will County Courthouse to dismiss Holbrook's lawsuit back in February 2024.

"Here, the complaint contains no description of the defect in the crosswalk, where it was in the crosswalk, or how the city possessed notice," Lenzie argued in his 2024 motion. "The complaint must plead facts establishing the existence of a duty and that city had notice ... The city seeks to have this complaint dismissed with prejudice, as the plaintiff failed to provide sufficient facts and stated the incorrect duty."

The following month, in March 2024, the plaintiff's lawyer filed an amended complaint on behalf of Holbrook and her amended complaint included the photo showing the crosswalk along Theodore Street and West Hampton Drive, calling it "unsuitable for walking by the general public ... on or about April 28, 2023, the city crosswalk ... was damaged and broken with holes and gaps, unsuitable for the general public, including the plaintiff."

Last week, Will County Judge Victoria Breslan noted that the lawsuit against Joliet has been dismissed through a settlement, and the May 8 court hearing has been stricken from her calendar.

In regard to the $100,000 lawsuit settlement, Joliet Patch reached out to the city of Joliet's media engagement and communications director Rosemaria DiBenedetto, who issued the following statement on behalf of the city's legal department Thursday morning:

"The Plaintiff, LaTonya Holbrook, alleged that she fell on a hole in the middle of a crosswalk and suffered injuries to her leg and lower back/spine. The settlement was entered into to mitigate the risk of a significant judgment against the City and to avoid costly future litigation."