ANAHEIM : City Wins $4-Million Case on Parking Site
The city has won a $4-million judgment against an engineering firm accused of defective work on a city-owned parking structure near the Anaheim Hilton and Towers.
A San Bernardino County Superior Court jury returned its decision March 19 against Los Angeles-based Ertzan Associates Inc. The action capped a four-month trial and four years of litigation.
In its lawsuit filed in 1988, the city charged that sagging, cracks and other defects began appearing in the subterranean levels of the three-story, 1,500-space garage shortly after construction in 1982.
City Atty. Jack L. White expects an appeal of the decision.
Ertzan officials could not be reached for comment, and telephone inquiries to the company were being referred to the court.
White said that even with the defects, the parking garage presents no safety hazards and continues to be used by the public. There are no restrictions on how the award money should be used, he said.
Attorney John A. Dito, who represented the city in court, said garage repairs are estimated at $4 million to $5 million, while reconstruction could cost up to $10 million.
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