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Jamie Foxx Sued Over Alleged Sidewalk Safety Hazard

By Andrew Lu on November 09, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Jamie Foxx is being sued by a woman who claims the actor's sidewalk is a safety hazard.

Catherine Jones claims she attended a party at Foxx's house last year and as she was leaving, she tripped on a sidewalk and fell "head over heels," allegedly causing serious injuries, reports TMZ.

Jones claims Foxx was negligent in maintaining the sidewalk, though further details of the sidewalk lawsuit were not disclosed. The suit was brought in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

If you're a homeowner, you probably know that you are responsible for keeping your property safe for visitors and passers-by. This not only includes maintaining your home, but also other parts of your property like your lawn and potentially your sidewalk.

In many parts of the country, this means that if you don't shovel the snow on your sidewalk or salt the icy patches, you could be held liable should someone slip and fall or otherwise gets injured.

Given that this lawsuit was brought in Los Angeles, the injured woman probably is not suing for an icy patch on the sidewalk. But other conditions that could have made Foxx's sidewalk dangerous include cracks in the sidewalk, such as those caused by tree roots.

Jones seeks at least $10,000 from Foxx to cover hospital expenses and other damages, reports TMZ.

Neither Foxx nor his representatives had a comment. However, Foxx may need to hire a personal injury defense attorney in this premises liability lawsuit. Some potential defenses the actor may want to consider include that the woman was careless or perhaps even intoxicated at the time she left his party.

Also, depending on exactly where the sidewalk was located, Foxx may try to argue that the woman's injury didn't occur on his property at all.

If you have questions about premises liability or your potential liability as a homeowner, you can post a question to our FindLaw Answers forum. If you are currently involved in a lawsuit, you can find a personal injury attorney in FindLaw's Lawyer Directory.

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