Francis Gherini; Lawyer Fought Park Service

Francis Gherini, who battled the National Park Service and won after it seized his Santa Cruz Island property, died late Tuesday from injuries suffered in a fall last week. The Ventura resident was 84.

Born in San Francisco, the sixth-generation Californian moved to Ventura County in 1948 from New Orleans with his family to practice law.

For more than a decade he was the only attorney in the county who spoke Spanish, family members said. He specialized in immigration law.

Gherini served five years in the Navy during World War II, and was the youngest at the time to earn the rank of lieutenant commander, family members said. He then spent 20 years as a reserve officer.

“He was an aggressive man who wanted us to work hard and succeed,” said son Denny Gherini of Oxnard. “He’d done a lot in his life and wanted the same for all of us.”

Gherini gained local notoriety after the National Park Service condemned and seized his 6,200-acre property on Santa Cruz Island in 1997. Under law, the service offered to pay him for the property, but Gherini considered the $4-million offer paltry and decided to sue.

In February, after a three-week trial, a jury awarded Gherini a $12.7-million judgment.

Over the last year, family members said, Gherini was under a great deal of stress. Late last year he underwent quadruple-bypass surgery and was required to undergo dialysis three times a week.

Last week, he collapsed on the driveway of his daughter’s Pasadena home and suffered a head injury.

Gherini is survived by his wife, Inez; son, Denny; daughters Andrea Gherini of Oceanside and Cathi Beauclair of La Canada; and eight grandchildren.

Details of his funeral service have not yet been announced. Arrangements are being handled by Cabot Mortuary in Pasadena.