Sued for Slippery Sidewalk?

[Paul B.]

Hi everyone, I recently had a stamped concrete driveway installed at one of my rental properties.  The renovation included repairs of the sidewalk that connects to the driveway, as it was ugly and in disrepair.  

My contractor who installed the driveway had extra material leftover from the main portion of the driveway.  In trying to something helpful, he create a nice, textured, sidewalk-colored stamped concrete pattern where the old sidewalk had been, instead of replacing it with bare concrete. Unfortunately he did this while I was at work.  

The issue is this:  The stamped concrete is textured and sealed with a slip resistant sealer in order to avoid slip hazards; however, it is still slippery when compared to the bare concrete on the rest of the sidewalk, especially when it rains.  

Am I at risk of being sued by someone who walks along the sidewalk and then slips on the stamped concrete sidewalk?  Would it be the smartest move to just demolish the stamped concrete section, and put in bare concrete, rather than risk an expensive lawsuit?

Thanks for any insight or tips anyone can provide; this has been a very tough issue to find any information on.  

[Wayne Brooks]

Yes, I think so.  Plus, you're likely required to replace as per county/city standards.