BEVERLY HILLS : Settlement Reached on Civic Center Payments

An expensive legal fight over the cost of building Beverly Hills’ $120-million Civic Center has come to an end after 2 1/2 years.

City officials and the principal contractor, J. A. Jones Construction Co. of North Carolina, announced a settlement Tuesday for $11.2 million that resolves nearly all aspects of the dispute between the city and contractors. The settlement, which brings the total cost of the final phase of the Civic Center to $73 million, was the result of court-ordered mediation.

Lawyers for Jones charged that the city was responsible for paying $75.5 million to build the library, police station and outdoor courtyards that made up the final phase of the project. Interest and lawyers fees would have brought the total closer to $80 million.

The city argued that Jones should be held to the original cost of $53 million, plus whatever was agreed to on the large number of costly changes that resulted from design reconfigurations, asbestos removal and other delays. The city has paid Jones and its subcontractors about $62 million to date.