Airport Noise Suit Triggers Financial Probe
A federal judge ordered an investigation Friday into the finances of an attorney who had been told to pay a $250,000 sanction and $100,000 in legal fees for filing a lawsuit the judge said was intended to harass homeowners living near Torrance Municipal Airport.
The sanction against Clark Garen of Torrance was imposed April 1 after U.S. District Judge James M. Ideman dismissed a lawsuit filed by Garen on grounds that it was “fraudulent and unmeritorious.”
The suit had asked that the City of Torrance be forced to condemn the houses of homeowners who complained that the nearby facility was too noisy.
Garen has said he is unable to pay the sanction and the attorney fees.
The judge ordered Garen on Friday to turn over financial records, including income tax reports and bank statements, to U.S. Magistrate Volney V. Brown Jr.
Ideman said he will review Brown’s report before ruling Aug. 16 on Garen’s request to have the sanction reduced.
Garen is going through bankruptcy proceedings in Houston, where he owns two apartment buildings.
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