SF pays $2.25 million to victim of Palace of Fine Arts fall

What appear to be steps at San Francisco’s picturesque Palace of Fine Arts are really planters. What appear to be steps at San Francisco’s picturesque Palace of Fine Arts are really planters. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close SF pays $2.25 million to victim of Palace of Fine Arts fall 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

The steps at the rotunda of the Palace of Fine Arts are a picturesque tourist attraction and a place where newlyweds pose for photos. They have also cost the city $2.25 million and a woman the ability to walk.

This month, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors signed off on a multimillion-dollar settlement with Lisa Owen. In September 2013, the then-26-year-old took a 10-foot spill from the steps, leaving her without sensation and movement in parts of her body. She had been socializing with friends when the accident occurred at about 2:30 in the morning.

It turns out the steps are not actually steps at all, but planters filled with dirt. And Owen’s case wasn’t the first lawsuit against the city involving the planters.

In 2009, a man sued the city when he fell from planters. And while the man dropped the case, the city was effectively put on notice that they were dangerous, said Quinton Cutlip, Owen’s attorney.

Cutlip said that after the 2009 lawsuit, the city put up signs around the steps urging caution, but “let them disappear.”

“The city should mark it so people can understand they are not allowed to go up there,” he said.

As for his client, Cutlip said, “This is not some drunk party girl who did something stupid. ... It looks so obviously like stairs that people go up there constantly, like daily.” Owen wasn’t available for comment.

Following the settlement with Owen, San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department, which oversees the site, is considering taking measures to ensure that another person doesn’t fall.

“In order to protect our park spaces and to increase the likelihood that park-goers make sound decisions, we are considering additional signage, more plantings in the planters, and increased patrols and enforcement around the Palace of Fine Arts,” said department spokesman Elton Pon.

Matt Dorsey, spokesman for the city attorney’s office, said he couldn’t speak about the Owen case specifically.

“Every litigation settlement we recommend reflects a thorough assessment of the facts and law and our best judgment of the most prudent course for the city and its taxpayers, and the Owen case is no exception,” Dorsey said.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: emilytgreen