Former Mayor’s Wife Gets $85K After Sidewalk Causes Breast Implant Rupture

The wife of San Diego's former mayor sued the city for a fall on a damaged sidewalk that allegedly ruptured her breast implants. The city will award her $85,000. The defense submitted an animation illustrating the reported events. Legal defense of Cynthia Hedgecock

A ruling Wednesday declared the city of San Diego must pay its former mayor’s wife almost $85,000 for a fall on a damaged sidewalk that ruptured her breast implant, San Diego NBC-affiliate KNSD reported Wednesday.

Cynthia Hedgecock, the wife of San Diego’s former mayor and conservative radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock, sued the city of San Diego after she tripped and fell walking down Morrell Street in July 2015. She alleged her breast implant burst as a result of the fall. After a civil trial Monday, it was revealed the Hedgecocks were seeking $25,000— the cost of replacing the implants. Cynthia Hedgecock testified Tuesday. The jury ruled the city needed to repair the sidewalk, saying they would award the former mayor’s wife $84,924.

The defense submitted an animation illustrating how the fall could have occurred.

Hedgecock said she exited her car holding folders in one hand and a cell phone in the other. She told the jury she was not staring at her feet while walking. According to Hedgecock, when she tripped, she was trying to keep her papers from flying and her cell phone from hitting the ground. The full lawsuit can be read here.

“I fell hard on my chest with some impact to my knees,” she said. “I was not running. I was wearing flats and I can’t run in flats.”

Hedgecock said she scraped her knees, but continued with her day. A few weeks later, she went to a Scripps Clinic facility because she had chest pains and breast deformities. The lawsuit read her breast implants were “irreparably damaged.” Hedgecock explained she had $19,924.04 in medical bills. The jury ruled to reimburse her for medical bills and award her with $65,000 for physical pain and mental suffering.

An attorney for the city of San Diego said the Morrell Street sidewalk was dangerous at the time, but disputed that the fall occurred where the damage was present. The city also disputed the claim that the sidewalk fall caused her breast implant to rupture. No witnesses saw Hedgecock fall and no images were presented to show damage to her phone or clothing. The city's attorneys also said medical records showed Hedgecock's implants ruptured in 2012 and were due for replacement as they were more than 20 years old.

Hedgecock reported the fall six months after it reportedly occurred. She said she fell at a different location on the claim filed with the city of San Diego than what was included in the lawsuit.