Lawsuits don’t always turn out

Last week, county commissioners approved a settlement of a lawsuit with nine vacation homeowners.

Everyone had to pay their own legal fees and the owners, who sought to keep their multiple vacation rentals will have to figure out a way to wrap those up earlier than the 10 years included in the original deal.

Meanwhile, scoping is still under way for the retention basins above Johnson Lane intended to slow down the flooding that was the topic of 2016 lawsuit filed in state court.

Thirty-one plaintiffs signed on, but the $1.3 million settlement didn’t pay a nickel to repair anyone’s property that was flooded in the 2014 and 2015 flooding.

There is $830,000 to build basins recommending in the Johnson Lane Area Drainage Master Plan. The other $470,000 went to pay attorneys and experts who worked on the lawsuit.

Cave Rock residents may have had the most success when they sued the county in federal court over their water system in 2016 and settled in 2018. Their chief complaint was that they were being charged for work on the neighboring and smaller Uppaway system.

Last week, county commissioners approved the third and biggest phase of water improvements at Cave Rock that should put the water system on an even keel for a while. 

That work will cost $20.2 million and will replace approximately 6,400 linear feet of 8-12-inch water main along with 89 new service connection.  Work should begin this spring.

Suing may be a viable alternative for some, but when you get right down to it, there’s only occasionally a satisfying conclusion.