Ceiling Mishap At Joliet Housing Authority Property: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL — Joliet resident Christine Roberts has retained a downtown Chicago law firm to sue the Joliet Housing Authority in connection with a ceiling incident at the John F. Kennedy Terrace building at 2200 Oneida St. that left Roberts injured, according to her lawsuit.

According to attorney Matthew M. Popp of O'Connor Law Firm, Roberts was visiting the Joliet Housing Authority apartment building on Oct. 28, 2019 and "a water leak above the first-floor ceiling existed at the property."

Roberts was standing by a vending machine on the first floor "when a piece of the ceiling, saturated in water, fell on top of her, causing injury," her new Will County lawsuit states.

The lawsuit argues that the Joliet Housing Authority has the duty to operate, maintain and control its premises "in a reasonably safe condition for those persons lawfully on said premises."

According to the Joliet woman's lawsuit, the Joliet Housing Authority is supposed to have sufficient personnel available to inspect any water leaks in the building and keep the building's first floor ceiling "safe for all individuals including plaintiff Christine Roberts, and free from defects and conditions rendering it unsafe."

The lawsuit contends that Roberts suffered "severe and lasting injuries" from last October ceiling incident. Her attorney is seeking a Will County jury verdict in excess of $50,000.