350 Landslide Victims Meet With Lawyers

More than 350 residents affected by the Anaheim Hills landslide gathered Tuesday night to discuss their legal options and to screen prospective attorneys.

“We must stick together,” said Michael Clayton, whose newly formed group--Communicators In Action--organized the meeting.

Most of the residents agreed that they would like to address their legal problems as a group and many said they would like to file a class-action, or collective, lawsuit against the city, or developers.

Since the evacuation of more than 46 homeowners three weeks ago, many residents have blamed the city. They said the city should not have allowed development in an area that was identified as having potential landslide problems in early environmental impact reports.

But the attorneys that spoke to the residents said that under state laws, local governments are generally immune from such liability.

“If you could sue a city every time it screws up, you would have no more cities,” said attorney Patrick E. Catalano, who has litigated landslide liability issues in Orange County and other areas in the past.

Nonetheless, city officials are concerned about the possibility.

City Manager James D. Ruth said the city has retained a private law firm to handle legal issues that may arise from the landslide.

“We have to be concerned about the city’s interests,” he said.

Ruth added that nothing has been found to indicate that city officials were responsible for the landslide.

Residents Tuesday night listened to presentations by several attorneys seeking to represent them. The attorneys said they would take the case on a contingency basis, meaning the residents would pay no legal fees unless there was a monetary judgment or settlement.

“You have to choose an attorney you feel comfortable with,” Catalano said.

All of the attorneys told the residents that their case was legally very complicated and would potentially involve many defendants.

Clayton, who lives on Rimwood Drive, near the evacuated area, said residents will meet again Friday to interview more attorneys.