The State - News from Jan. 4, 1987

Key parts of a $300-million lawsuit filed by Southern California developer Richard Traweek against the City of San Francisco have been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson. In the suit, filed in 1983, Traweek accused the city of conspiring with other developers to stop him from turning a 720-unit apartment complex into condominiums. In 1982, the Board of Supervisors sought to protect renters by imposing an annual citywide cap of 200 on the number of condominium conversions allowed. Traweek alleged the limit violated antitrust laws, but Henderson, following the recommendation made last year by a special adviser in the case, ruled that cities are protected from antitrust liability. The remaining portions of the suit concern state law issues, and San Francisco officials are expected to ask the federal judge to dismiss them, arguing that they should be refiled in a state court.