Marin County flood victims sue for $1 billion

Victims of last winter’s flooding in Marin County are seeking more than $1 billion in lawsuits filed against government agencies that they blame for the devastation.

Each of the 265 individuals and businesses named in the six lawsuits is asking for $4 million in damages and an additional $250,000 in legal fees, said attorney Herb Rowland, who is defending the city of San Anselmo.

The flood that began Dec. 31, 2005, damaged about 1,200 homes and 200 businesses. Officials estimated that the damage exceeded $110 million, but a plaintiffs attorney, Lawrence Mann, said the amount was more than $300 million.

Among the defendants named in the lawsuits -- filed in Marin County Superior Court from June to December -- are the cities of Mill Valley and Ross, Marin County, the Marin Municipal Water District, the state of California and the Tamalpais Union High School District.

The plaintiffs want to collect the most money allowed by each defendant’s insurer without hurting municipal budgets, Mann said.

Government officials said that the legal process would be costly and that the flood was a natural disaster beyond their control.

Bob Ferguson, superintendent of the Tamalpais district, said the suit will probably cost the district more than $100,000. The suit’s contention that new fields at a high school contributed to the flood is “preposterous,” he said.