A Sugar Grove woman who was injured after she tripped on a section of uneven sidewalk filed a lawsuit against the village seeking more than $150,000 in damages and legal costs, records show.

Julia Ann Haen fell on the sidewalk in front of 505 Willow St. on Feb. 28, resulting in injuries, pain and suffering, disfigurement, disability, loss of a normal life and loss of consortium with her husband, according to the five-page lawsuit filed Dec. 1.

The lawsuit seeks more than $75,000 for each of two counts, for injuries and for loss of companionship with her husband.

The filing also alleges that the village had notice of the uneven sidewalk’s trip hazard for more than four years.

Haen’s attorney, Larry Amoni, said municipalities have a legal requirement to maintain sidewalks.

“Cities own sidewalks and they have a legal duty for a reasonable inspection system in place,” Amoni said. “It’s a non-delegable duty.”

In short, a municipality cannot delegate sidewalk maintenance because it’s their property.

Amoni cited U.S. Housing and Urban Development 2021 national standards requiring the physical inspection of sidewalks, particularly when there are vertical differences between sections.

Amoni also cited a National Institutes of Health report that there are 518,000 fall injuries outdoors on streets and sidewalks per year, “five times the number of people transported from car accidents,” Amoni said. “That is significant.”

Regarding the trip hazards of uneven sidewalks, Amoni said it is not as simple as telling someone to look where they’re going.

“It has to do with context. If I’m walking in a field with landmines, I better be looking down. If I’m walking in a crowded bar, I better be looking straight ahead,” Amoni said. “It’s in the name ‘sidewalk.’ It’s for the public to walk on. ... Sidewalks are there for one single reason and it’s for the public to walk around the neighborhood. It’s not supposed to be an obstacle course.”

Amoni said no one expects municipal employees to be checking sidewalks every second of every day – just an annual or semi-annual inspection.

As to the specifics of his client’s injuries, he would only say, “It was a significant life-changing injury.”

In response to a request for comment, Village Administrator Scott Koeppel sent an email stating, “The village is working with our attorneys and insurance provider on the matter and cannot comment further.”

Court records show the case is up for a management conference on Feb. 17, 2026.