LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Less than a month before the case was scheduled to go to trial, an overall settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by the widow and children of a 68-year-old psychologist killed by an allegedly speeding motorist in the Arts District.
Larry David Brooks was killed on May 4, 2020, after being struck by a car allegedly driven on Santa Fe Avenue by Ka-Leung Chan. On Tuesday, attorneys for Brooks' widow, Anna Marie Piersimoni, and her two children filed a notice of settlement with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Stern. No terms were divulged. The judge canceled the scheduled Aug. 17 trial date.
The plaintiffs' maintained in the portion of their case against the city that the street design plan had become hazardous due to a change in physical conditions, that the city knew about the dangers and that officials had enough time to fix the problems, but failed to do so.
The lawsuit also alleged Chan was negligently speeding when his 2018 McLaren 720s struck and killed Brooks while he was walking in the parking lane of Santa Fe Avenue between Third and Fourth streets. Chan was later charged with reckless driving and felony vehicular manslaughter.
In their court papers, Chan's attorneys argued their client was not the sole cause of the accident.