OXNARD : Jury Selection Is Slated in Dunes Trial

Jury selection in the massive Oxnard Dunes case is scheduled to begin Feb. 16, after two days of negotiations by both sides this week failed to produce a settlement.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Melinda Johnson said Thursday that 600 to 700 people may be called as potential jurors in the case, brought by a large group of residents whose homes were built atop a former oil waste dump.

Johnson said 24 jurors would be picked to hear the case, which she estimated could last six months or longer. Twelve of the jurors would serve as alternates.

About 170 residents of the Oxnard Dunes subdivision filed a lawsuit six years ago after learning that their homes, built in the 1960s, were situated over an abandoned oil waste dump.

Last weekend the plaintiffs reached a settlement with the city of Oxnard, a former landowner, and several other defendants in the case. The terms of the settlement were not released.

Of the defendants that remain, a key party is Oxnard Shores Co., the developer of the subdivision. Attorneys for plaintiffs and defendants met Tuesday and Wednesday to try to settle the case.