Springvale’s St Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church is being sued based on claims by a 70-year-old parishioner that she slipped on a wet leaf at the premises.
According to a report by the Herald Sun, Penelope Liakopoulos said that the church was negligent in its failure to remove the leaf from the foyer of the premises, or should at least have warned her over its presence.
In the statement that was lodged with the Country Court, Ms Liakopoulos claimed that as a result of the incident she fractured her right wrist.
Described as a traumatic experience, she was required to undergo surgery and has continued to endure aftereffects such as ongoing pain and restricted movement and is claiming damages, including past and future medical expenses.
Ms Liakopoulos says the church has a duty of care to parishioners to avoid exposing them to such potential risks, and that they failed to do so.
She says the church should have an anti-slip coating on the floor of the building’s entrance, and have a system in place for inspecting floors “for slip hazards such as the leaf”, or preventing them from entering the premises.
In an interview with Neos Kosmos, St Athanasios parish priest Father Efstathios Ladas said he did not know exactly what had happened, but added that Ms Liakopoulos is clearly seeking compensation through her allegations.
Father Ladas says that the church’s solicitor and insurance company are currently handling the matter.