Echoes of ‘Dallas’ : McAuley Oil Co. Ordered Dissolved in Family Rift

Ending a four-year legal battle that pitched father against son in a scenario reminiscent of the fight for Ewing Oil on television’s “Dallas,” Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Luesebrink has ordered that Buena Park-based McAuley Oil Co. be dissolved, Richard McAuley, 38, sought the dissolution, court papers said, because his father maneuvered to have him ousted as company president in 1981 and has allowed him no say in the operations of the privately held corporation--in which he owns a minority but substantial block of stock.

Charles McAuley, 65, founded the company in 1959 and has for many years served as board chairman. Although he acknowledges having his son fired, the elder McAuley denied all of the charges made against him.

Despite its name, McAuley Oil is no longer in the oil business. The company, whose principal asset is the 200-acre Los Coyotes Country Club in Buena Park, has for years been embroiled in an expensive dispute over the cleanup of the McColl toxic dump, which occupies a small portion of the country club and some adjoining land. The courts are still deciding who will pay for cleanup of the dump and when it will occur.

Dump Cleanup Litigation

On July 25, Judge Luesebrink tentatively decided to have the company dissolved, but not until the litigation surrounding the McColl dump’s cleanup is resolved, said Brian Friedman, attorney for the younger McAuley.

Additionally, Luesebrink ordered that Richard McAuley’s position on the company’s board be reinstated and that his voting rights as a common shareholder be restored.

“The decision is subject to getting final papers from the judge,” Friedman said Thursday. “But Richard McAuley won, and we feel great about it. This has been going on for over four years.”

According to Friedman, the company’s dissolution will have no effect on the cleanup of the McColl dump. Luesebrink, Charles McAuley and Richard McAuley could not be reached for comment.