Passings: Harry Peetris

Harry Peetris

Judge in Stringfellow toxic dump case

Judge Harry Peetris, 94, who oversaw proceedings in the long-running battle over the cleanup of the Stringfellow Acid Pits, died Aug. 15 at USC Medical Center, said his son, Harry Peetris II. He suffered a heart attack last month in Las Vegas, where he was living, and was taken to the USC hospital for care.

He spent more than 20 years on the bench, retiring in 1984 to begin a new career as a private, so-called rent-a-judge hired to preside over negotiations and other proceedings in disputes. Peetris specialized in toxic cleanup and other environmental cases, including some of the most complex and widely known in Southern California. He oversaw a consent agreement between Mobil Oil Co. and the city of Torrance in the early 1990s over the operation of a refinery. And he mediated several Superfund toxic waste site disputes.

His most complex case concerned the notorious Stringfellow dump in Riverside County, where more than 30 million gallons of toxic waste had been deposited. It provided a considerable income to Peetris during the time he was involved. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in 1994 that the judge had earned more than $1.2 million from his work on the ongoing case, for which he got $400 an hour.

Peetris, who had a no-nonsense, take-charge reputation as a private judge, was often praised for his even-handedness. Although Torrance lost a key ruling in the Mobil case in 1991, city officials said Peetris had considered the matter carefully. “He’s a very intelligent man, and very fair,” said Torrance then-Mayor Katy Geissert.

Peetris was born Oct. 21, 1919, in Cicero, Ill. His family moved to San Fernando when he was a youngster, and he graduated from North Hollywood High School. He got a bachelor’s degree in accounting from USC in 1941. During World War II he worked as an FBI special agent in intelligence and counterintelligence matters.

He got his law degree from USC in 1950 and worked in private practice until being appointed a judge by Gov. Pat Brown in 1962.

--Times staff reports

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