LA Superior Court officials say old courthouses are old and breaking down

COMPTON, Calif. - For the second time in a month, a pipe burst at the Compton Courthouse, causing flooding so bad, the building had to close down. The closure has judicial officers with the LA Superior Court system speaking out over what they say are too many plumbing and other failures.

For Superior Court Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner, "the answer is simple. We have 36 courthouses and most of them are very, very old, including the Compton Courthouse."

Jessner said the Compton Courthouse isn't the oldest — it's 46 years old — but "it's been the most problematic, this month with broken pipes."

The first rupture happened on New Year's weekend, the second, over this past weekend. Public elevators, stairwells, jury rooms and much of the lobby were flooded and inaccessible. A flexible pipe under a sink was the culprit, all because Jessner said, "we are dealing with an old, failing building."

Both pipes burst on the fourth floor of the courthouse, and according to David Slayton, the executive officer of the LA Superior Courts, the water "just spread itself down through the four floors of the building. It took the elevators out, and at that point, the courthouse has to close."

Officials said the impact to the docket was massive. Hundreds of cases had to be moved within hours. They moved them all over the country and will continue to do that over the new few days, because there's so much repair work that needs to be done.

The elevators are the biggest problem because most of the courtrooms in the Compton courthouse are on the upper floors. This is a problem that juries, judges and court-users will be dealing for the rest of the week and so far, Assistant Presiding Judge Sergio Tapia says, "We've had to move cases to at least three or four different courthouses, and as the week goes on and the longer the facility is unavailable, the more triaging we're going to have to do."

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The three court officials FOX 11 spoke with from their downtown offices said they have an operation that is on top of it. They have staffers outside the courthouse telling court-goers where to go for their cases, so, according to Tapia, "operationally, we're able to handle it, but it is a major inconvenience that [is] unfortunately happening on a monthly basis." 

But, the problem is way more pervasive than just at the one courthouse. The issues at the Compton Courthouse are the most pressing and glaring. But those court officials said it's a systemic problem in the entire LA Superior Courts system. To Jessner, "It is very frustrating to start receiving texts very early in the morning. It's a little bit like Groundhog Day in terms of being told we have a flood. It's impacting portions of the courthouse. Got to get all hands on deck."

Jessner said what's happening at many of the courthouses is happening way too often. She, Tapia and Slayton said 21 of the country's 36 Superior Courthouses are over 50 years old, and essentially, falling apart.

"We feel really strongly that we've got to get around the facility situation and provide as much improvement as we can, so we don't have to do this every day," Slayton said.

Tapia said the situation "is not sustainable. It's not a sustainable model. All we can do is educate. We do not control the purse strings." 

Those purse strings are controlled by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature. But, court officials say new buildings are needed for safety of all who use the courts.