Located in California’s Central Valley, Lodi is a city known for producing grapes and wines, particularly varieties of Zinfandel. People may also recognize the city from the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Lodi” about a musician who is down on his luck and forced to play small time gigs in Lodi. The city was also used as the shooting location for the opening of “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul Newman.
Lodi is generally a quiet and unassuming community, though it does attract a good number of visitors due to its historical buildings, museums, farmers market, and the annual Zinfest, featuring the city’s finest wines. But Lodi also has its share of problems like any other city in California, such as accidents caused by the city government. A failure to take action or blatant disregard of safety protocols can have devastating consequences to residents and visitors to the city.
Victims of negligence or misconduct have the right to seek monetary damages from the responsible party, which is where we can be of help. Contact us today if you or your loved one was injured from one of these incidents:
- Sidewalk accident – trip and fall / slip and fall
- Injured in a government building
- Falling object injuries
- Injured by collapsing ceiling / roof and other structures
- Accidents caused by city vehicles
- Assault and battery
- Sexual assault
Our Recent Verdicts and Settlements
$2.5 Million
$1.1 Million
$1.5 Million
$600,000
$525,000
$734,851
How to File an Accident Claim with the City of Lodi
As with most cities in California, the city of Lodi has specific forms that must be filled out if you believe that you suffered harm because of negligence by a specific department or employee. You can call the City Clerk at (209) 333-6702 to request the paperwork or click here to download a copy of the Claim for Money or Damages against the City of Lodi, California.
As a general rule, the claim forms can be filed in person or by mail, but you should always verify this information by contacting the City Clerk’s office. You should also read all the instructions thoroughly to ensure that you include all the necessary documentation. However, the instructions are vague and overly general, and this is on purpose, as the city cannot offer legal advice. This is why most claimants struggle over how to answer questions, like the amount of compensation you are due and why the city is legally responsible for the accident.
Contacting an experienced accident injury attorney is the best way to build a solid case for liability by the City of Lodi. Please give us a call 24/7 if you or your loved one was hurt in an incident that was caused by the city government of Lodi, California.
City of Lodi Damage Claims Must be Filed in 6 Months!
All liability claims against a state, county, or city government in the state of California must be filed in 6 months from whenever the incident occurred. Frankly, this is a tight deadline for those who are trying to recover from an accident, but there are virtually no exceptions if you are more than 6 months from the date of injury. Occasionally, a city may be willing to consider an extension, but we know from experience that these involve rare and exceptional circumstances.
Please don’t delay in contacting our law firm and seeking help from a lawyer with experience in lawsuits against government agencies. Our legal team is ready to take immediate action on your case and secure the compensation you deserve.
Waiting to Hear Back from the City
Once your claim is accepted and processed by the city, there is a period of 45 days in which you will need to wait for a response. The 45-day rule is a statutory deadline established by the California Tort Claims Act, so the city must provide you with a written response within this timeframe.
You may get an acceptance letter or email from the city, which is good news, as it means they are willing to accept liability and compensate you. However, many claims are rejected by the city’s legal advisor, which can be a frustrating experience. But a rejection by written notice still gives you 6 months to file a lawsuit, so you should contact a lawyer right away at this point if you haven’t done so already.
Another possible outcome is that the city does not respond at all by the deadline of 45 days. That means your claim is rejected by default, so you can go ahead with a personal injury lawsuit against the City of Lodi. Without a written notice of rejection, the statute of limitations for an injury and/or property damage lawsuit is 2 years from the accident date.
How to File Lodi School District Claims
The Lodi Unified School District has many educational sites for children from Preschool to High School, along with a school for adults. Failure by school district officials and workers can easily result in an accident that causes serious harm to others. Public school districts have their own process for how to file a damage claim, which one of our attorneys can go over with you.
Contact our office and talk to a Lodi school district accident attorney if you or your child was injured at one of these schools:
- Ansel Adams Elementary
- Beckman Elementary
- Clairmont Elementary
- Clyde W. Neeham Elementary
- Creekside Elementary
- Davis Elementary
- Elkhorn Elementary
- Ellerth E. Larson Elementary
- Erma B. Reese Elementary
- George L. Mosher Elementary
- George Washington Elementary
- Heritage Elementary
- Houston School
- Joe Serna Jr. Charter
- John Muir Elementary
- Julia Morgan Elementary
- Lakewood Elementary
- Lawrence Elementary
- Leroy Nichols Elementary
- Live Oak Elementary
- Lockeford Elementary
- Lois E. Borchardt Elementary
- Manlio Silva Elementary
- Oakwood Elementary
- Parklane Elementary
- Podesta Ranch Elementary
- Sutherland Elementary
- Victor Elementary
- Vinewood Elementary
- Wagner-Holt Elementary
- Westwood Elementary
- Woodbridge Elementary
- Christa McAuliffe Middle School
- Delta Sierra Middle School
- Henderson School
- Lodi Middle School
- Millswood Middle School
- Morada Middle School
- Bear Creek High
- Liberty High
- Middle College High
- Plaza Robles High
- Ronald E. McNair High
- Tokay High
- Independence School
- Lincoln Technical Academy
- Lodi Adult School
- Lodi Unified Digital Academy
- School Readiness & Preschool
- Turner Academy
- Valley Robotics Academy
Average Case Value of a City of Lodi Compensation Claim
How much you can receive from a city government compensation claim will vary from a few thousand dollars to over $2,000,000. We understand why people are interested in finding out the average value of a city of Lodi injury claim. But there’s no reliable way to come with an average settlement amount, since each victim has different injuries and health complications. These and other elements affect the amount of payment they are entitled to from the city of Lodi. That’s why even if 2 people had the same type of accident, one person may receive $5,000 in damages while the other claimant is awarded over $1,000,000.
Obtaining the right amount of compensation is crucial to the recovery process, which is why you should contact a City of Lodi accident claims attorney as soon as possible.
How Long Does it Take for a City of Lodi Claim to Settle?
It takes around 12 months to resolve the majority of claims against the city of Lodi, though it’s completely possible that your case will be settled in 6 months or less. But if we are talking about serious injuries and/or significant property loss, 1 to 2 years is the expected timeline. Unlike a standard personal injury lawsuit, suing the government starts with the claims process, and this by itself can take up to several months. If your claim is rejected, the next step is to file a lawsuit, and that’s when the timeline really starts to increase, especially if you are seeking more than 5 figures in damages.
Overall, we would say that there’s little chance of trying your case in court, since more than 95% of all injury claims are settled between the two parties. But when the negligent party is a public entity, 12 to 24 months is the expected timeline to reach a settlement.
Contact Our Law Firm
Speaking to a government claims attorney is critical to the process of using the city of Lodi and receiving payment for your monetary losses. But we understand the concern that accident victims have when it comes to their finances.
At our law firm, we provide free legal services to anyone who is eligible for a compensation claim against the city of Lodi. Our attorneys operate under the Zero Fee Guarantee, meaning clients pay $0 to hire a lawyer if they wish to proceed with a lawsuit. We will ask the city to cover all legal fees as a part of your settlement award, so if you don’t get paid from a city of Lodi compensation claim, neither do we.
For a detailed discussion on your rights and legal options, please schedule a free case review at your earliest convenience.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
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How to File a Claim against the City of Cerritos
