Tiffany Drops $1-Million Lawsuit

Tiffany & Co. has quietly dropped a lawsuit that sought more than $1 million from South Coast Plaza for allegedly keeping the tony jeweler from opening a store at a rival mall, the Shops at Mission Viejo.

A Tiffany attorney said Friday that the jeweler had withdrawn the Superior Court lawsuit, which accused South Coast Plaza of invoking an “illegal and unenforceable” noncompetitive clause in Tiffany’s lease.

The lawyer, Alan Gordee, would not elaborate, declining to say whether Tiffany still remains interested in expanding to the Mission Viejo center. Tiffany officials could not be reached for comment.

South Coast Plaza said in a statement that it was pleased that the lawsuit had been dropped, but executives would not discuss the matter further.

The lawsuit, filed in August, illuminated how last year’s renovation of the Mission Viejo mall had intensified competition between Orange County centers that cater to well-heeled shoppers.

The Mission Viejo mall spent $150 million remaking itself, emerging with a new name and heavyweight tenants Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, which also have stores at South Coast Plaza.

Nordstrom has said South Coast Plaza did not try to stop it from opening in Mission Viejo.