The Reno City Attorney’s office is asking the Reno City Council to appeal a verdict awarding more than $750,000 to Swan Lake flood victims.
“The City Attorney recommends Council authorize and direct the City Attorney’s Office to appeal the judgment and to do any and all things necessary and appropriate to pursue the City’s appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court,” an online staff report notes this week in advance of Wednesday’s council meeting. “The court will issue an order awarding recoverable court costs and attorneys’ fees in the next few weeks.”
Washoe County District Court Judge Barry Breslow recently sanctioned the City of Reno by fining city attorneys $1,500 for failing to admit to facts in the Swan Lake flood case filed by Lemmon Valley residents.
The sanction is on top of awarding damages to plaintiffs in the case. The award does not include attorney fees, which could double the amount owed to plaintiffs and attorneys. That’s on top of, likely, hundreds of thousands of dollars incurred by the city fighting the case. A separate federal case is still pending.
An attorney for the plaintiffs said he hopes the city will settle and move on.
“The Plaintiffs hope that the City will come to terms with and accept the clear ruling of the Court and decide to forgo an appeal,” Luke Busby said. “This case is over four years old, and everyone’s costs will only continue to rise if litigation continues. The Plaintiffs are still living with the consequences of the flooding since it happened in early 2017. Continuing the case only creates needless suffering for our clients and increased burden on City taxpayers.”
Read more This Is Reno reporting on the case here: https://thisisreno.com/2021/02/750k-awarded-swan-lake-flood-plaintiffs-city-attorney-fined/
