And boy do we have a bunch!With $4 million left in the City's Legal Defense Fund, dragging butt is the name of the game.
On Monday, there will be a workshop beginning at 9am. One of the matters that will be discussed is Litigation and Claims involving the City. There is a total of 152 cases...no wonder Elaine Humphreys is "walking" a little slower. It's enough to fry the brain.
The List consists of:
- 12 Foreclosures by City Liens (one of these liens regarding Figueroa was settled last year as the City made a BIG mistake--kept fining him when the matter had been corrected. I was at that Magistrate hearing. Mr. Timm is always bellowing about why we forgive these fines. Sometimes the City just screws up. Now who would believe that?)
- 79 Foreclosures by mortgage holders
- 8 Bankruptcies
- 5 Personnel cases
- 26 Other Litigated matters (the Utility employees Whistleblower case is listed here...the City is dragging its feet)
- 18 Other claims
- 4 Appeals
Tom Ramiccio, rumored to be running for Mayor this November, is on the List. Dee McNamara filed nearly 2 years ago without any reply from the City.
Nancy Shepherd who wants to "steal" the right of way next to her house is there too.
We can't forget Christine Taylor, Ms. Legal Suit. She is the one who comes to city commission meetings madder than hell in her motorized chair. She has several actions pending. She blows off steam at the meetings and immediately feels better.
Another interesting one is the Reyes, Jordan and Drenski whistleblower case. It's still going on with only $254.88 in outside counsel fess paid to date. Really? It too is in Discovery with the City dragging its butt.
And we can't forget how the City has dragged out the DOAH hearing (aka LaSonna Hayes who just hates height restrictions) on Sunset. It's there too along with Sunset Drive Holdings with its Bert J. Harris claim.
I am amazed that we have spent almost a quater million to defend the Greater Bay case paying the same firm that gave us the legal opinion that we had every right under the contract to end our relationship with Greater Bay. I asked the commission to get a second legal opinion before ending the deal but they decided to rely on the advice of this firm. This firm than went on to make a motion asking the court to throw the case out and we lost that motion. So they now make lots of money in legal fees for advice that sucked. A good legal rule is to get a second set of eyes to look over the work of a firm that put us into a contract that now has us by the balls. There is a right way and a wrong way to get out of a deal. As usual our City chose the wrong way and it aint over yet. Elaine is out of her league. We need a city attorney with extensive trial experience. If this case goes to trial it could easily cost us over a million dollars when we are all said and done. We need that money.
ReplyDeleteThere are many who do not trust Brian Joslyn. He, however, goes for the jugular. His firm is super expensive but then they all charge outrageous fees. Asking the court to throw it out was just good lawyering. You never know if something will stick unless you try. The problem is the constant delays and the refusal of the "other side" to delay Discovery. They want the City to get tired of paying all these legal fees and settle. NOT AN OPTION.
ReplyDeleteHow many Union suits are there?
ReplyDeleteThe local newspaper keeps writing about Sunset and saying that it will cost the city a lot of money. What do you say about that?
ReplyDelete