LOS ANGELES : FEMA Urged to Settle With Riot Victims

Declaring that some issues are better decided without a judicial ruling, a federal judge Monday urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reach an out-of-court settlement with Los Angeles riot victims who have charged that they were illegally denied relief after the 1992 disturbances.

“Justice by agreement is better than justice by judicial merit,” U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts said during a hearing at which federal attorneys asked for dismissal of the class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of riot victims by a group of public interest lawyers.

The lawsuit seeks to order FEMA to provide housing aid and other assistance to individuals who said they were unfairly denied help. Only half of the $330 million allocated for emergency assistance has been allocated, according to Urban Recovery Legal Assistance, a program launched last year to help riot victims.

After a private meeting with Letts, lawyers for both sides said they were amenable to out-of-court negotiations and would report to the judge Nov. 29.