The city of Burbank is known as “The Media Capital of the World” for the many entertainment companies that are headquartered in the city. These include Warner Bros, Cartoon Network Studios, and the Walt Disney Company, just to name a few. It’s also located just a few miles from Hollywood in the southeastern region of Los Angeles County.
Burbank has a population of over 107,000 people, and approximately 150,000 people commute into the city for work. With so much going on in this community of just 17.35 square miles, there is a high risk of incidents where people may be injured or killed. Protecting residents and visitors from harm should be the ultimate goal of city departments like the Burbank Police, Fire Department, and Public Works. Unfortunately, these agencies may be lax in their duties to the public, or a government employee may be careless or engage in willful misconduct that causes harm to others.
As a victim of negligence, you have the right to monetary compensation from the city of Burbank. However, there are specific rules that you must follow in order to file a claim against the city, which we will go over in this article. As you are likely to have specific questions and concerns about your accident, don’t hesitate to contact our law firm and schedule a free case review. Our legal team can assist you in a City of Burbank compensation claim for any type of incident, including:
- Slip and fall or trip and fall on city property
- Falling object accidents, including collapsing structures
- City vehicle accidents
- Damage / injuries caused by contractors hired by the city of Burbank
- Assault and battery
- Sexual assault
How to File an Injury Claim with the City of Burbank
As with any claim against the government, the first step is to obtain the correct paperwork. For the city of Burbank, click here to download the Claim forms and important instructions. You will notice that the claim is filed with the City Clerk’s Office, but it’s the city’s Liability Office that approves of denies your request for payment.
By law, the city has to get back to you within 45 days of when your claim is processed by the City Clerk. You can check up on the status of your claim by contacting the Liability Office at (818) 238-5013 or Liability@burbankca.gov. But the city is still required to send you an approval or denial notice in writing within the 45-day timeframe, which may be through email or postal mail.
If your claim is denied by the city, you have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit within 6 months of the date on the rejection notice. If you have waited 45 days and the city has not gotten back to you in writing, you have 2 years from the accident date to file a lawsuit.
How Long Do I have to File a City of Burbank Accident Claim?
Please note that claims for damages against a city government must be filed within 6 months. This is the rule for any claim where you are alleging negligence or misconduct by a government office or one of their workers. Essentially, you have 6 months starting from the incident date to file a claim for compensation with the Burbank City Clerk’s Office. Failure to submit your claim on time means that you will forfeit your right to monetary damages, even if it’s clear that the city if at fault. As you have such a short deadline to file a city of Burbank accident claim, make sure to contact a lawyer with experience in suing city governments in the state of California.
Lawsuits against the Burbank Unified School District
Like government agencies, public schools in Burbank can also be sued for dangerous conditions or reckless conduct by their employees. But school districts have their own claims process, which you will need to learn about in order to seek payment for your medical bills, pain and suffering and other monetary damages. To learn how you can file an accident claim against the Burbank Unified School District, contact us right away. Our lawyers are available to take immediate action on your behalf if you were injured at the following Burbank schools:
- Bret Harte Elementary School
- George Washington Elementary School
- Joaquin Miller Elementary School
- Providencia Elementary School
- Ralph Emerson Elementary School
- Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School
- Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School
- Thomas Edison Elementary School
- Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
- Walt Disney Elementary School
- William McKinley Elementary School
- Dolores Huerta Middle School
- John Muir Middle School
- Luther Burbank Middle School
- Burbank High School
- John Burroughs High School
- Monterey High School
- Burbank Adult School
- Horace Mann Children’s Center
- Community Day School
- Independent Learning Academy
- Magnolia Park School
Average Lawsuit Value for Negligence by the City of Burbank
Compensation amounts for those who are injured by the city of Burbank may be anywhere from $5,000 to $2,000,000 or more, so in reality, there’s no such thing as an average value for these lawsuits. The majority of claimants we represent receive around $75,000 and above, but this is due to many factors that have to do with their injuries, monetary losses, and negligence by the city. That’s why it’s essential to meet with you in person and learn many details about your experience before we can say what your lawsuit against the city of Burbank is worth.
Expected Timeframe to Settle a City of Burbank Injury Claim
How long it takes to settle a compensation claim against the city of Burbank may be around 1 to 2 years, though this is not an exact science. But we do know that lawsuits against public entities have additional requirements compared to the average personal injury claim. The claims process alone will probably take several months, and if your claim is denied by the city, you will have to file a lawsuit. That’s why 12 to 24 months is not an unusual amount of time to reach a settlement with the city of Burbank. Of course, it’s possible that your case will be resolved in under 6 months if the city makes you a fair settlement offer. But this usually happens in cases that are worth $10,000 or less, so claims with higher values will probably take longer to settle.
Contact Our Law Firm
Right now, talking to an experienced personal injury lawyer is the single most important thing you can do to ensure that you succeed in an accident claim against the city of Burbank. If the thought of how to pay for a lawyer is holding you back, don’t worry, as we offer all clients a Zero Fee Guarantee. We guarantee that you pay nothing out of pocket for legal services, as we are a contingency based law firm. We include the cost of representation in our settlement demands to the city, so we receive payment at the same time you do. And if we don’t win your case, you walk away without any responsibility for our expenses.
Call us today and talk to a lawyer who can sue the city of Burbank for an incident that caused you bodily harm and/or property damage. We look forward to representing your interests and fighting for the compensation you deserve.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
How to File an Incident Claim against the City of Dinuba
How to File an Accident Injury Claim against the City of Monrovia, CA
How to File an Accident Claim against the City of Escondido, CA
