LAUSD Awarded $3 Million in Belmont Lawsuit By Michelle Logsdon - April 10, 2002
A settlement was reached between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers on April 9 concerning the Belmont Learning Center project. The firm will pay the district $3 million but admitted no liability in the environmental concerns surrounding the new high school complex.
The district will spend $2 million of the settlement on further construction at Belmont and $1 million to pay outside legal counsel. Board members Genethia Hudley-Hayes and David Tokofsky voted against the settlement, saying the amount was too low. The $3 million pales in comparison to the total price tag of $60 to $80 million expected to complete the project which is located on an abandoned oil field.
The half-finished building was abandoned in January 1999 after district officials voiced concerns about toxic gases seeping up from the soil. The district then filed a $100 million lawsuit against O’Melveny & Myers, its legal counsel at the time, for providing bad advice about the environmental ramifications of the construction.
Adjuster / Examiner Claims Examiner Santa Ana Unified School District Santa Ana, CA
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