A woman is suing the city of Berkeley on three counts after a part of a building downtown allegedly hit her on the head.
The complaint was filed Sept. 2 in the Superior Court of Alameda County. The plaintiff, Shoshi Griffin, alleges she suffered damages caused by a piece of a building owned by the city that fell on her just over a year ago, on Sept. 9, 2025, according to the complaint.
Griffin is suing the city on counts of negligence, willful failure to warn and dangerous condition of public property. She is seeking compensation for the damages she suffered, which include wage loss and hospital expenses, according to the complaint.
“The deteriorated and/or unsecured condition of the building created a dangerous condition and a reasonably foreseeable risk that building materials could fall and injure pedestrians using the sidewalk below,” the complaint alleges.
Griffin did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
The building is located at 1947 Center St., according to the complaint. It sits directly between Berkeley’s Veterans Memorial Building and the new Berkeley City College West campus extension, the latter of which is nestled on the corner of Center and Milvia streets.
Construction on the six-story building expansion was completed in 2025.
The building named in the complaint is affiliated with the city. It houses Berkeley’s Finance Customer Service Center, Housing Code Inspections, Office of Vital Statistics and Permit Service Center.
The city of Berkeley declined to comment on pending legislation. The city attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment.