Translating OCCORD’s Loss to Anaheim over GardenWalk into Understandable Terms
By Greg Diamond, Orange Juice Blog
Case dismissed — on a combination of technicalities and failure of anti-corruption legislation.
(1) Case Dismissed, Merits Remain
Yesterday, OCCORD lost its lawsuit against the City of Anaheim’s giveaways to Bill O’Connell, owner of the GardenWalk hotel project in front of Judge David McEachen of what Matt Cunningham’s unconscious mind describes in his story as the “Superior Curt.” Seriously. Somewhere, Sigmund Freud is applauding.
Interest declared: your humbe author is CATER’s General Counsel and, as the Cunningblog notes, OCCORD “has been represented in this suit by liberal litigator Cory Briggs (who is also CATER’s partner-in-litigation against the Anaheim Convention Center expansion)” — which is true if by “is” one means “was, but hasn’t been since the matter was settled half a year ago.” CATER doesn’t disclaim our former association with Briggs, though: another judge might have come to a different conclusion in this case (something that Anaheim certainly recognizes when it loses) and we admire and appreciate Briggs’s and OCCORD’s willingness to put the city’s kleptocracy to the test. Continue reading