L.A. to Pay $1.35 Million in Equestrian Center Suit

Closing the book on an 8-year-old dispute, the Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to approve a $1.35-million lawsuit settlement for Eddie Milligan, the president of the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center.

Milligan runs the equestrian center as a concession for the city.

In his lawsuit, he claimed that delays in signing the agreement cost him long-term sub-licensing agreements, said Marcia Kamine, assistant city attorney.

Kamine said the delays were due to additional studies of the site called for by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which had leased the land to the city.

“We started to negotiate the concession, but the corps wanted to do some environmental impact studies . . . meanwhile [Milligan] was developing the property,” Kamine said.

Milligan remains skeptical of this explanation, and blamed “personality conflicts” for the delays.

Milligan has said he made more than $3 million worth of improvements to the property without a long-term concession agreement. In all, he had claimed damages of $23.7 million.

The council approved the settlement by a 9-1 vote. City Councilman Rudy Svorinich voted no.

“I’m happy, I’ve got a smile on my face,” said Milligan, reached at the equestrian center Wednesday.

Kamine said the city is considering taking action to recover costs from the Army Corps. Despite the long-running legal battle, Kamine said the equestrian center has been a success--to Milligan’s credit.

Milligan himself professed to have no regrets. Although he still feels wronged, he enjoys running the center. “I love it, I love losing a lot of money,” he deadpanned.