Plaintiffs Agree to Dismissal of College District Lawsuit
January 14, 2003
Ventura County Star
Plaintiffs in a taxpayer lawsuit against the Ventura County Community College District and former Chancellor Philip Westin filed court papers Friday to have the suit dismissed.
The defendants in the lawsuit agreed to the dismissal after all of the parties agreed to mutual releases, essentially agreeing not to sue one another, said Paul Stevens, an attorney for The Quisenberry Law Firm, which represented the taxpayers.
The lawsuit against Westin, the district, and four trustees was filed in July after revelations that Westin had spent more than $119,000 of district money on meals, travel, automobile costs and computer equipment and software.
Stevens said the plaintiffs in the case believed they had achieved the primary goal of the lawsuit: to hold college district leaders accountable for the spending. Westin resigned from his post in October. "We felt that everything that could be accomplished was," he said.
Trustee Art Hernandez, a defendant in the suit, said he was glad the issue has been resolved. "I think the sooner we can get rid of these things, the sooner we can move on," he said.
