Home Depot Puts $10 Million Lawsuit Against LA City on Hold

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Home Depot puts suit on hold on permit issue
By Kerry Cavanaugh, Daily News Staff Writer

Home Depot has put its court challenge ($10 million crybaby lawsuit) on hold while it submits a new application to open a branch of the home-improvement chain in Sunland-Tujunga. (Against community wishes and best interest.)

Under the (under-handed) agreement with City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, Home Depot reserves the right to revive the lawsuit if the company doesn't get permission to open or if the community sues over the project. (That means they will be suing again, anyway.)

Last August, the Los Angeles City Council revoked Home Depot's building permit, saying the company's plan to remodel a vacant Kmart required more study of how the new store would affect the surrounding community.

Home Depot responded by suing the city. Company officials said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel interfered with the company's building-permit review and advised opponents - including competitor Do-It Center - on how to fight the project. Greuel said Home Depot is only now doing what it should have done.

As part of the agreement, the city has five months to review Home Depot's application and make a decision whether to renew the building permits. Also, Delgadillo's office will act as mediator between Home Depot and a community stakeholder committee. [Why not just have Latham & Watkins make the decision themselves, and you can save a bunch of phony decision-making time.)

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