Dear PLAN JPA Members,
PLAN JPA is holding this Town Hall to provide an overview of three governmental immunities that are helpful when defending dangerous condition and civil rights claims: two common types of claims for our membership.
The Town Hall will be held via Webex on March 5, 2025.
Course Description
PLAN JPA’s general liability claims have increased in the past few years along with jury verdicts in California. However, government agencies do have tools to help protect public funds against unnecessary and expensive litigation. Those tools are in California’s Government Claims as immunities. This Town Hall presentation will identify three of such immunities, including trail immunity, design immunity, and pursuit immunity, and the required elements to preserve those immunities. The presentation will provide examples of when these immunities have been successfully applied, as well as examples of when public agencies have been unsuccessful in applying those immunities, and the outcome. Attendees will come away with a better understanding of these three immunities, and takeaways on how cities can make sure they have what they need to protect themselves from unnecessary litigation.
We will:
• Discuss the reasons for the higher number claims and verdicts.
• Identify and define immunities.
• Identify when to use the immunities.
• Discuss the necessary evidence and documents for these immunities.
Speaker: Susan DeNardo
Susan DeNardo is PLAN JPA’s Litigation Manager. She is a 2004 graduate of the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento and admitted to practice in California. Ms. DeNardo worked as a litigator defending public entities in cases involving employment, constitutional, and tort law for over a decade before coming to Sedgwick in 2019. Ms. DeNardo earned her Certified Litigation Management Professional designation in 2020.