A resident of Palm Beach County has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and VGS Infrastructure Services, Inc., formerly known as Louis Berger Hawthorne Services, Inc., alleging negligence in maintaining a sidewalk that led to her injury. The complaint was filed by Lorraine Eventoff on June 11, 2024, in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida.

According to the court documents, Lorraine Eventoff claims that both FDOT and VGS failed to maintain a sidewalk near 4001 Florida A1A in Boca Raton, resulting in an unsafe condition that caused her to trip and fall on February 26, 2022. The plaintiff asserts that the sidewalk had an uneven surface with blocks displaced vertically by at least two inches. This hazardous condition allegedly led to her falling and sustaining significant injuries.

The lawsuit details how FDOT posted an advertisement on March 6, 2019, requesting proposals for a seven-year asset maintenance contract. This contract was awarded to Louis Berger Hawthorne Services Inc. on July 15, 2019. The company was responsible for maintaining sidewalks along the US1/A1A corridor, including state crossroads in St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties. On December 7, 2023, Louis Berger Hawthorne Services Inc. changed its name to VGS Infrastructure Services Inc.