Huntington Beach plans to appeal judgment

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- City officials are planning to appeal a

$1.2-million judgment against the city, after a local businessman fought

City Hall and won.

City Atty. Gail Hutton was reluctant to discuss the details of the

appeal this week, but said the City Council, which also makes up the

Redevelopment Agency, voted 6-0 in closed session Tuesday with Councilman

Peter Green absent.

The case stems from a lawsuit by Gary Mulligan, owner of Perqs bar at

117 Main St., against the city, which has raged for several years.

Mulligan had claimed that city plans for the Downtown area prevented him

from improving his property and resulted in a loss of income.

An Orange County Superior Court jury ruled in favor of Mulligan

Friday, a decision that would require the city to pay the bar owner $1.2

million for his losses.

Neither Mulligan nor his attorney Ronald Cole returned phone calls

Wednesday.

Mulligan and other property owners have been working to make facade

and other improvements, said Jim Lane, whose family has owned the

property at Main and Walnut streets since the World War II.

Mulligan claimed that city plans to redevelop property, some of which

was home to Perqs and surrounding businesses, stalled his improvement

efforts to add a second story that would yield increased rent revenue.

“My hat is off to [Mulligan] for coming forward and suing when he

suffered damages,” Lane said. “All any of us wanted to do was improve our

buildings and make them look brand new.”

Hutton said the city has 60 days to file the appeal with the 4th

District Appellate Court in Santa Ana.