Garden Grove : Cable Co. Seeks Change of Venue for Civil Suit

Rogers Cablesystems, which was sued by the city, has asked for a change of venue away from Orange County Superior Court.

The Toronto-based firm filed a suit in U.S. District Court calling for the case to be tried in the federal system.

“It’s not just a change of venue,” said City Atty. Eric Lauterer on Thursday. “They’re saying that the whole issue is one that should be decided in federal courts as opposed to locally.” The city, he said, believes otherwise.

The city’s suit, filed in December, seeks to nullify a rate hike that went into effect Oct. 1. The suit claims the hike violates the city’s contract with the cable TV company. It also claims Rogers has not yet serviced all the city’s residential neighborhoods, has not hooked up cable TV to the school system, and has not provided a studio facility as stated in the contract.

Los Alamitos filed a similar suit alleging breach of contract against Rogers last month.

In both cities, basic monthly rates were hiked from $9.95 to $11.95, while special services like Home Box Office rose from $8.95 to $9.95. Additionally, the monthly fee for extra outlets was increased from $4.95 to $5.75.

Mitch Lansdell, Los Alamitos director of administrative services, said Rogers has not yet filed a change-of-venue suit against his city.

Ray Littrell, a member of the Garden Grove City Council’s cable television committee, said a meeting is scheduled for Feb. 19 between city officials and Rogers’ attorneys “to sit down to see if there’s room to settle and negotiate.”