City asks American Civil Liberties Union to drop lawsuit regarding the city's day labor ordinance...

Wednesday, May 14, 2008



Lake Forest attorney says ACLU suit is frivolous



City asks American Civil Liberties Union to drop lawsuit regarding the city's day labor ordinance.


By ALEJANDRA MOLINA

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER



LAKE FOREST – The city sent a letter last week to the American Civil Liberties Union asking it to drop a lawsuit against the city regarding its day labor ordinance.

"We felt that it was appropriate to remind the ACLU that they shouldn't be pursuing a frivolous lawsuit," said Jeffrey Dunn with Best Best & Krieger, the law firm that provides legal services to the city.

Day worker groups filed a suit last year, backed by the ACLU, opposing an ordinance that banned people from soliciting work on sidewalks in Lake Forest. While the city struck down the ordinance last spring, the ACLU hasn't withdrawn the suit, arguing that deputies still park patrol cars at the corner to intimidate prospective employers and hound workers. In addition to the city, the City Council and Lt. Jay LeFlore, former chief of police services, were named as defendants.

Tessie Borden, a communication specialist for the ACLU, said it is continuing with the discovery phase of the suit and a trial date is set for Aug. 19.

She declined further comment.

"Discussion we might be engaging in around settlements is always understood by both parties to be confidential," said Hector Villagra, director of the ACLU Orange County office. "This is standard legal practice and also federal law."

Dunn said the city received a letter from the ACLU in March saying it would be willing to drop the lawsuit against individual council members.



"From my perspective the letter said that if each council member would admit to wrong doing then the ACLU might let them out of the case as individuals," Dunn added.

Dunn said the ACLU does not have any evidence to support any lawsuit against individual council members.

"This is why we asked them again to dismiss their law suit," Dunn said. "They have shown no reason to justify suing individual council members."



http://www.ocregister.com/articles/aclu-city-suit-2
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