Bench collapse at Cermak Hospital results in suit against county

A Chicago woman is suing Cook County over claims she was injured when a bench at Cermak Hospital collapsed.

Brenda Malave filed a lawsuit May 2 in the Cook County Circuit Court against the county, citing premises liability.

According to the complaint, Malave was in the waiting room at Cermak Hospital with the intention of visiting a patient on Sept. 26, 2010, when the bench she was sitting on collapsed.

Malave accuses the county of failing to maintain the premises and repair the faulty bench.

She is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and is being represented in the case by attorney Jeffrey M. Landry.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L004858.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.