Judge Blocks Irvine Meadows Demolition

An Orange County Superior Court judge blocked the demolition of the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, temporarily defusing a high-stakes standoff that had threatened to level Orange County’s premier outdoor concert venue. Judge C. Robert Jameson issued a preliminary injunction that prevents Irvine Meadows’ landlord, Los Angeles businessman Harry Shuster, from proceeding with plans to dismantle the 15,000-seat venue as part of a long-running dispute with Irvine Co. Citing the jobs, tax revenue and capital investment the concert venue represents in south Orange County, Jameson expressed reservations about letting Shuster use the threatened destruction of a valued community asset as a bargaining chip to win concessions from his old nemesis. Attorneys for Shuster’s United Leisure said they are considering a host of legal strategies, including an appeal.