Local News in Brief : Award to Homeowners
Owners or former owners of 30 Rolling Hills properties destroyed or damaged by a landslide will receive $11.4 million in settlements as the result of a yearlong Torrance Superior Court trial. The trial ended in January, but the amount was not disclosed until Wednesday, when the proceeding ended with a $1.5-million award to a couple who refused to settle earlier with one defendant.
The jury last month held the Rolling Hills Community Assn., which maintains roads and common areas in the private city, and the California Water Service Co. partially liable for the landslide, which started in 1980 in the Flying Triangle section of Rolling Hills. All of the owners settled with the association, but Larry and Corinne David went to court after failing to reach agreement with the water company.
The complex landslide case, which led to the longest trial in Torrance Superior Court history, once had five defendants. Earlier settlements with the City of Rolling Hills, Los Angeles County and an engineering firm brings the total received by property owners to $18.2 million.
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