Flying Triangle Landslide Case Expected to Go to Jury in July

The trial in the $31-million Rolling Hills Flying Triangle landslide case, which began in January and was expected to last three months, is now expected to go to the jury in July, according to court officials.

Attorneys for owners of 21 Flying Triangle properties recently rested their case after calling 28 witnesses, including homeowners and experts in soil and water. The Rolling Hills Community Assn. and California Water Service Co., which are accused of causing the slide that has destroyed or damaged several expensive homes since 1980, have begun presenting their side in Torrance Superior Court.

Ted Armbruster, attorney for the association, which maintains roads and common areas in private Rolling Hills, is questioning witnesses this week and said he should finish presenting his case in mid-June. The water company then will present its case.

Attorneys on both sides, as well as Judge Frank Baffa, are attributing the length of the trial to the number of people involved and the complexity of the testimony of expert witnesses. Some witnesses have spent several days on the stand, answering detailed questions about water drainage and canyon erosion in the Flying Triangle area. Jurors have heard the geologic history of the area dating back to prehistoric times.

Property owners contend that the slide was triggered after the association began using the canyons as a drainage system, which eroded canyon walls so much that they could no longer support the land. A break in a main water pipeline was blamed for substantial erosion, and owners contend that numerous leaks in smaller water lines helped keep the land mass moving after the slide began.

The association and water company blame the slide on natural causes, arguing that excessive rainfall during the late 1970s saturated the ground and reactivated an ancient landslide. The case has been characterized as a battle of the experts, and attorneys say the outcome will depend on who jurors believe.

The city of Rolling Hills and Los Angeles County, who also were sued by the property owners, were dropped from the case before the trial began after they agreed to cash settlements totaling more than $4 million. During the trial, another plaintiff--Lockwood-Singh engineers--settled for a reported $900,000. The engineers investigated prospective Flying Triangle home sites in the late 1960s and concluded that development was safe.

Other settlement talks have continued during the trial. Judge George R. Perkovich, who is supervising the negotiations, said this week that there is a chance for settlements but “key plays have to be made and they have not been made.” He would not elaborate except to say that they involve money.