Local News in Brief : Burbank Airport Noise Ruling to Be Appealed to High Court

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority intends to ask thS. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling by the California Supreme Court that upheld the right of residents to sue airports over jet noise and damage to property values.

Attorney Richard Simon said Tuesday that he will file an appeal before Dec. 23 asking the federal high court to overturn “or alleviate the impact of” the decision.

The California Supreme Court ruled in favor of 138 people who live near Burbank Airport. The residents are seeking nearly $14 million from the airport authority, complaining that noise, exhaust and vibrations from jetliner traffic are a continuing nuisance and have lowered the value of their homes.

The decision reversed a ruling by a trial court judge who threw out the suit. It would allow residents around other airports in the state to sue the airports as nuisances--repeatedly--if conditions did not improve.

A resolution passed Monday by the authority said the decision by the California high court “poses an immediate and substantial threat to all California airports both by encouraging extensive, vexatious and unnecessary litigation, and by creating uncertainty as to the economic viability of present and future airport projects.”