No New Flood of Airport Suits Seen in Wake of Deukmejian’s Veto

Leaders of an Orange County citizens group Wednesday predicted that there will be no crush of new noise lawsuits against John Wayne Airport after Gov. George Deukmejian’s veto Tuesday of legislation that would have limited such complaints.

“Many residents have lost their fervor for pressing lawsuits,” said Clarence Turner of the Airport Working Group. He said many people are aware of last year’s out-of-court settlement between Orange County and the City of Newport Beach that restricts expansion of John Wayne Airport and believe that the settlement should be given a chance to work.

Barbara Lichman, also a member of the Newport Beach-based group, said about 100 anti-noise lawsuits were filed against the airport but they are inactive because plaintiffs are not pressing them. Technically, the lawsuits are still in the legal system because no one has sought to have them dismissed, but Lichman said many plaintiffs have run out of money or have found it too expensive to pursue them.

Authored by Assemblyman Richard Robinson (D--Garden Grove), the legislation vetoed for the third time in four years Tuesday would have limited California residents to one lawsuit each against airport noise by classifying the nuisance as permanent rather than continually changing.

Robinson’s bills were sought by the Orange County Board of Supervisors. The Airport Working Group and affiliated organizations around the state have lobbied heavily against the measures.

The Airport Working Group supported the out-of-court settlement that ended years of litigation between Newport Beach residents and the county over flights at John Wayne.

Lichman disputed Robinson’s claim that hundreds of repetitious lawsuits had become an unfair burden for city and county governments throughout the state. She said her research indicated that there were no repeat filings by airport anti-noise plaintiffs anywhere in California.

In praising Deukmejian’s veto, AWG members said Wednesday at a news conference in Santa Ana that they hope now to work with a coalition of business and civic groups to find a site for a new regional airport.

As part of its settlement with Newport Beach, the Board of Supervisors agreed to resume the search and rescinded two previous resolutions declaring that there is no feasible site in Orange County.

The board has not decided who will conduct the search, which may be aided by an undetermined amount of federal airport planning funds.