City of Lakewood Pays Hidden Village Owners $507,000

[Bill Call]

I wonder if the agreement codifies Hidden Village as a no go zone?

[Stan Austin]

Bill--- please explain what you are talking about
Stan

[Jim O'Bryan]

The City of Lakewood has been in a lawsuit with Hidden Village and the owner of the
property since the Tom George Administration. The halfway house for violent juvenile
offenders released from prison because of their age was run by Lutheran Ministries. Many
in the area including police, point to the large amount of crime in the area since it started.

Mayor Tom George was taking an active campaign to make sure the building was safe for the
residence and people in the area. Because of the amount of checks and the scrutiny tensions
rose, until it was brought forward that it was because of the color of the residence skin that
the city was cracking down on the establishment.

Everyone involved in this lawsuit I have known for a long time, and used to talk to many city
officials back in the day of the Tom George Administration, and never heard of racist comment
dealing with Hidden Village or for that matter anything else.

Well known lawyer and TV personality Avery Friedman got involved and the case blew up
nationally for a little bit until most of the people named as racists were dropped from the
lawsuit. To my knowledge the only ones being charged were "Lakewood City Hall." Mayor
Michael P. Summers threw in the towel as it would have been to costly to pursue our
defense any longer.

So Lakewood settled for $507,000 dollars which probables cover legal expenses.
I have been told by other people that know the case, the city of Lakewood was backed
into a corner, and Mayor Summers took the best option left.

What I find upsetting about this more than most do, is this entire deal stinks to high
heaven. Including the way an apartment complex was re-purposed without the city
knowing completely was going on. This caused many fractures in City Hall.

To this day, "Hidden Village" remains a pretty tough neighborhood.

The lawsuit and original discussion.

http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=12218&hilit=+hidden+village+

I will post more links later.

.

[Bill Call]

Bill--- please explain what you are talking about
Stan

If a City cannot conduct day to day police actions because of fears of a baseless lawsuits what affect does that have on a peaceful neighborhood?

What responsibility do our regional institutions like Lutheran Housing and Mental Health Services have to insure that their actions do not damage neighborhoods?

What right do those organizations have to convert Lakewood apartments into homeless shelters and halfway houses? Does that right exist? Who gave them that right? Are they exercising that right in Westlake or Avon or Bay Village?

Isn't there even one member of council to take a stand against those policies?

Where is Nickie Antonio when you need her.

[Stan Austin]

In my naivete I presume the recipients of these monies can show a spreadsheet of how and to whom these monies are to be spent and to what purposes.

[Jim O'Bryan]

In my naivete I presume the recipients of these monies can show a spreadsheet of how and to whom these monies are to be spent and to what purposes.

Stan

Normally in a settlement a bunch of items are sealed with participants not be allowed to
speak publicly on this. For Lakewood I would think only Mayor Summers or Law Director
Butler would be able to speak about this, but not much to say.

Most people involved have retired, nothing good would come from losing the suit, believe me,
think of Parma, Busing, etc. At the end of the day, from what I know, it seemed to always be
more about the bottom line, then race. Again knowing everyone involved even during the
investigations, it was never race.

One thing most people forget, most times responding to calls, and they never inspected
anything without finding something wrong. These were not senseless shakedown of people
of color being hassled. It was about their safety, and the building that was housing them,
as in human thems.

But sometimes, it best to put it behind you and walk away.

From everyone I know that has followed this trial, the day was coming, it was just Mayor
Summers that said "No Mais, enough," Council backed him. Most I have talked with said, good decision.

.

[Bill Call]

From everyone I know that has followed this trial, the day was coming, it was just Mayor Summers that said "No Mais, enough," Council backed him. Most I have talked with said, good decision.

The City made the correct decision.

However, we should all be outraged that taxpayer financed agencies like Lutheran Housing can blackmail cities.

[Jim O'Bryan]

From everyone I know that has followed this trial, the day was coming, it was just Mayor Summers that said "No Mais, enough," Council backed him. Most I have talked with said, good decision.

The City made the correct decision.

However, we should all be outraged that taxpayer financed agencies like Lutheran Housing can blackmail cities.

Bill

They are not the owner and were not mentioned in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is between City of Lakewood and Hidden Village LLC. which leased the
property to Lutheran Ministries.

.

[Will Brown]

I'm curious as to whether Lakewood has insurance or is self-insured.

Many professionals are incensed when their insurer settles a suit on their behalf when they felt that they had done nothing wrong.

[Bill Call]

I'm curious as to whether Lakewood has insurance or is self-insured.

Many professionals are incensed when their insurer settles a suit on their behalf when they felt that they had done nothing wrong.

We once had a client who operated a warehouse that was heated with ceiling tube heaters.

They had a habit of stacking inventory all the way up to the tube heaters. When our guys went there for maintenance they would make the warehousemen remove the items so that the items were at least 10 feet from the heaters. The next time our guys went there for maintenance they made the warehousemen remove the items.

The next time it happened our guys disconnected the tube heaters.

During that time the warehouse operator was cited more than once by the local fire department for storing items too close to the tube heaters.

The next time the warehousemen stored material too high the building caught on fire. They had reconnected the tube heaters and stored material next to the tube.

Our insurance company gave them a settlement check rather than go to court.

[marklingm]

So many questions:

What does the settlement agreement state?

Was the $507,000 paid by the City?

Why didn't the insurance company pay the $507,000?

Was the $507,000 the only amount paid to the Plaintiffs or was this just the amount paid by the City?

Did any individuals pay anything?

Did the insurance company pay anything?

Did the insurance company want to fight the case?

Why would the City settle if the insurance company was willing to go to court?

Lots of questions.

[marklingm]

So many questions:




What does the settlement agreement state?

Was the $507,000 paid by the City?

Why didn't the insurance company pay the $507,000?

Was the $507,000 the only amount paid to the Plaintiffs or was this just the amount paid by the City?

Did any individuals pay anything?

Did the insurance company pay anything?

Did the insurance company want to fight the case?

Why would the City settle if the insurance company was willing to go to court?



Lots of questions.

[Emphasis added.]

Well, one question seems answered:

Lakewood, Hidden Village Settle Six-Year Litigation

by Colin McEwen

Lakewood City Council voted to bring the city’s longest-pending civil lawsuit to a close on Monday evening by authorizing a settlement with the owner of a local apartment complex.

The dispute arose from a series of interactions in 2006 and 2007 between the city and the owner of Hidden Village Apartments in Lakewood. The owner, Hidden Village, LLC, alleged the city engaged in practices that violated its and its tenants’ rights, and the city denied those allegations. The city will contribute $507,500 toward the settlement, and the company will release all claims against the city and all of its past and current officials and employees.

“The settlement does not represent an admission of liability by the city, and Lakewood has always disputed the allegations made in the complaint,” said Lakewood Mayor Michael Summers. “But we believe the resolution of a very old, very time-consuming and potentially costly case was in the best interest of our citizens.”

Summers, who first took office in 2011, advocated bringing the nearly six-year-old lawsuit to an end. “We were prepared for this settlement so our financial strength is unaffected,” he said. “In fact, by removing the specter of extensive litigation our position is now strengthened.”

The case, which was litigated in the U.S. District Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, was scheduled to be tried before a jury in Youngstown beginning on October 27.

[Emphasis added.]

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2014/10/14/lakewood-hidden-village-settle-sixyear-litigation

[Bill Call]

They are not the owner and were not mentioned in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is between City of Lakewood and Hidden Village LLC. which leased the
property to Lutheran Ministries.

Lutheran Ministries pays the bills.

Lutheran Ministry policy of converting apartment buildings into halfway houses does a lot of damage. Unless you are willing to call them out and cut their funding they will not change their behavior.

Same goes for Mental Health Services and its policy of converting apartment buildings into mental health treatment facilities for the homeless.