Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : No Conspiracy, Judge Rules in Landlords’ Suit
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A federal judge ruled Monday that there was no conspiracy against four Santa Ana landlords who were ordered to fix up their substandard buildings three years ago.
The four landlords had sued the city and the Legal Aid Society of Orange County in March, alleging that the city and Legal Aid had violated their civil rights by conspiring to drive them out of business with “Gestapo” code-enforcement raids.
“If there is a conspiracy to ensure decent living conditions, it doesn’t sound like a conspiracy to violate one’s rights,” U.S. District Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez ruled in Los Angeles.
Fernandez had dismissed the lawsuits once before but allowed the landlords’ attorney, Nick O’Malley, to refile them with more specific allegations.
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