How to File a Claim against the City of Cerritos

Spanish for “little hills,” Cerritos is one of Los Angeles County’s Gateway Cities, with a population of over 49,000 residents. Originally inhabited by the Tongva tribe of Native Americans, the area was colonized by the Spanish during the 1500s. For many years, Cerritos was an agricultural community, but in the 1960s, residents voted to allow large-scale development to attract more people to the city. As a result, the city became attractive to immigrant families from countries like South Korea, the Philippines, and India.

As a city grows in size, it’s imperative that city departments take care of their duties, like maintaining city parks and fixing the roadways. City workers, including police officers and fire fighters, must exercise good judgement and follow safety protocols to avoid causing harm to others. Sadly, negligence by city governments is a leading cause of bodily harm and destruction of property. As the victim of carelessness or reckless conduct by the city of Cerritos, you have the right to seek monetary funds for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and various other damages.

The government claims lawsuit lawyers of Normandie are ready to educate you on your rights and secure the settlement you deserve from a City of Cerritos compensation claim. Contact us today to learn how you can sue the city for an accident, such as:

• Sidewalk accidents (slip and fall / trip and fall)
• Injuries to pedestrians and motorists caused by a city vehicle
• Car accidents caused by dangerous road conditions
• Accidents due to collapsing structures (buildings, roof, ceiling, stairs, deck, etc.)
• Assault and battery, including sexual assault
• Injuries caused by falling objects

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How Do I File an Accident Claim against the City of Cerritos?

As the victim of harm that was caused by a City of Cerritos agency or employee, you must file a claim with the City Clerk’s Office. The claim form can be downloaded from the city’s website or obtained in person, though you should call the office ahead of time at (562) 916-1248 to ensure that someone will be available.

The claim forms can be mailed or delivered in person to the address on the instructions page, which is for the City Clerk’s Office. Please note, however, that the Cerritos Risk Management Division is the department that reviews your compensation request and approves or denies the claim. To check up on the status of a claim, you can call the Division at (562) 916-1322. Please note that it can take at least a few weeks for the city to review your claim, and even more time before they make a decision on whether or not to accept responsibly for what happened to you. In the next section, we will go into more detail on how long it takes to hear back from the City of Cerritos after you file an accident claim.

How Long Do I have to Wait for a Response from the City?

If you are mailing in your claim forms, it’s a good idea to follow up with the City Clerk to make sure it was received. Or, use a priority mailing service so that you have proof of delivery. This is important information, as the city has 45 days from the date of receipt to get back to you with the status of your claim.

Generally, you will receive a letter notifying you that your claim is approved or that it was denied for one or more reasons. In the event you are sent a denial notice, please note that you still have the right to file a lawsuit through the court system. But you must petition the courts within 6 months from whenever the claim was rejected.

In some cases, the city may fail to get back to you by the deadline of 45 days. This will allow you to file a lawsuit within 2 years of the accident date, which is the standard procedure for a personal injury claim. Whether you have 6 months or 2 years to sue the city, there is no denying that the process of filing a lawsuit is complicated and overwhelming for the average person. This is why legal representation is highly recommended, which we can provide you with here at Normandie Law Firm.

City of Cerritos Claims have a 6 Month Deadline!

We understand that 6 months is a short amount of time to submit a Claim against the City of Cerritos, especially when you are still trying to recover from an accident. However, the statute of limitations to file a lawsuit against a city, county, or state entity is 6 months, and there is virtually no exception to this rule. That means each passing day brings you one step closer to missing out on payments for your medical bills, lost wages, and other monetary damages. To protect your right to compensation, contact us immediately to get the ball rolling on a city of Cerritos injury and/or property damage claim.

Average Case Value for a City of Cerritos Accident Claim

Injury or property damage claims against the city of Cerritos may have values ranging from $5,000 to $2,500,000, with the most extreme cases of injury exceeding the $5,000,000 mark. At our law firm, the vast majority of settlements recovered by our attorneys are between $75,000 and $3,000,000. But not every case will fall within this range, since the amount of compensation is based on many details that are unique to each victim. This is why it’s important to focus on what you are entitled to from an injury case, rather than the average value of a lawsuit against a city government. Our lawyers are here 24/7 to help you figure out the value of a City of Cerritos compensation claim, so don’t hesitate to give us a call.

How Long Do City of Cerritos Injury Claims Take to Settle?

Overall, we expect that it will take between 1 and 2 years to settle a city government accident case. This is due to a variety of circumstances, including the legal requirements to sue an entity of the government. Due to the work that goes into filing these claims and the likelihood that we will need to file a lawsuit, 1 to 2 years is the average amount of time to reach a settlement when you are suing the City of Cerritos. Granted, we do have our share of claims that are settled within 6 months, and lawsuits that go to trial and require over 3 years of work before payment is issued to the client.

Once we speak with you in person and learn more about your case, we will have a better idea of how long the settlement process will take. Please contact our law firm and schedule a free case review with a government claims accident injury lawyer.

We Provide Free Legal Services

Normandie Law Firm is committed to protecting your interests, which include your finances during the course of an injury claim or lawsuit. With the Zero Fee Guarantee we provide from day one, you pay absolutely nothing to hire a lawyer that can sue the city of Cerritos. Attorneys’ fees are charged to the party that injured you, and winning your case is the only way we get paid. In other words, we don’t make a penny unless you do.

For more information on how to obtain compensation for an accident that was caused by the city of Cerritos, contact our law firm as soon as possible.

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