RANCHO PALOS VERDES : Plaintiff to Refile Suit Over Property Liens

One day after the Supreme Court declined to consider her lawsuit, Erica Stuart was preparing to refile her case with the high court.

Without comment, the court announced Monday, the first day of its 1994-95 session, that it would not hear the case filed by Stuart and 13 other Rancho Palos Verdes residents. They are fighting $10 million in liens placed on property to help pay for measures in the Abalone Cove area to stop landslides that destroyed or damaged nearly 50 homes.

Some residents sued the county in 1979, alleging that county actions contributed to a 1978 landslide. In a 1987 settlement of the suit, the county agreed to spend $10 million on anti-landslide measures, including a drainage system, but placed liens on neighborhood homes to help repay the bonds.

Stuart alleges that the liens are unfair because they have been placed on property owners who were not part of the 1979 suit.

Stuart, who has a doctorate in government from Claremont College, has represented the landowners in the suit. She says the court may reconsider her case if she presents new evidence, and cited the lack of anti-landslide measures implemented since she filed her case in 1991.