Angels, Anaheim in Partial Settlement

The City of Anaheim and the Angels agreed Friday to dismiss most of the lawsuits and counter-complaints they have filed against each other for two years, possibly paving the way for settlement of a larger lawsuit now in its 10th month of trial.

Team owner Gene Autry and Anaheim Mayor Don Roth signed the documents, which dismiss legal actions that both sides have called harassment.

“It’s taken several months of hard work, and we are very hopeful that this agreement will lead to settlement of the main suit,” Roth said.

The city and the Angels have been feuding since August 1983, when the Angels filed a $100-million lawsuit against Anaheim to prevent construction of a high-rise project on part of the Anaheim Stadium parking lot. At the heart of the lawsuit is the question of who has the ultimate rights to the parking lot, the Angels or the city.

Since legal maneuvering began, only one lawsuit has been settled out of court. That one, regarding which party should pay for security services at the stadium, was settled in July 1985.

Friday’s agreement--the most far-reaching yet between the two sides--dismissed several legal battles but left others unresolved.

The legal disputes dismissed Friday included:

--A cross-complaint filed by the city against the Angels on Feb. 29, 1984, for allegedly falsifying information about television revenues.

--A lawsuit filed by the Angels on Jan. 31, 1985, alleging that Anaheim improperly withheld payments from tickets, television and other sources due the ball club.

--A cross-complaint filed by the city on July 15, 1985, in the so-called payments case, alleging the Angels did not share enough of the revenue from tickets, television and other sources.

Among the issues yet to be settled is whether the city has the right to allow the Union 76 sign at the stadium. But both sides agreed Friday to ask retired Judge Warren Knight to arbitrate the matter next March, attorneys said.

The Angels filed a lawsuit on June 27, 1985, demanding the city take down the Union 76 sign. They cited portions of the lease, which gives the Angels “the right of approval” due “to sponsorships and other factors” affecting the ball club. Chevron is an Angel sponsor.

In turn, the city filed a cross-complaint on Aug. 30, 1985, alleging that the Angels were guilty of unfair business practices and violation of anti-trust laws by trying to prohibit Anaheim from selling signs.

Also not included in the agreement is a lawsuit against Anaheim City Manager William O. Talley, whom the Angels accuse of using “fraud and deceit” to try to deprive the club of its parking lot rights. Attorney Don Morrow, representing the Angels, said the negotiations dealt with disputes between the Angels and the city, not between the Angels and Talley.

Talley was a key figure in the negotiations dealing with the development of the parking lot promised to Anaheim Stadium Associates, a company that includes the Los Angeles Rams’ interests. The office complex development was part of the package deal that encouraged the Rams to move to Anaheim in 1978.