Long Beach : Boaters Get $24,000 in Eviction Suit Settlement

The city has paid a total of $24,000 in settlements to Our Marina live-aboards who filed a lawsuit to fight their eviction from the marina which is destined to be demolished to make way for Long Beach Harbor expansion.

In addition, the city found new boat slips for two other live-aboards who are the only boat owners remaining in the marina at the foot of the Henry Ford Bridge, Deputy City Atty. Tom Reeves said.

Eight boat owners were paid $3,000 in settlements. They had sued the city for relocation benefits and an injunction that would have required improvements in the marina while they remained there.

Reeves said it was cheaper for the city to settle rather than continue to pay legal expenses or risk the granting of an injunction that would have forced the city to spend taxpayer funds to temporarily fix up a marina that is scheduled to be town down.

Dennis Rockway, senior counsel for the Legal Aid Foundation of Long Beach which represented the boat owners, said the live-aboards were entitled to relocation benefits.

“We’re sorry that the city wasted taxpayer money in prolonging this needless litigation when it should have recognized the rights of the live-aboards to fair relocation money from the start,” Rockway said.

Former live-aboard tenants of the marina, however, still have their own lawsuit pending against the city claiming they were unfairly forced to move.