Case appears headed for trial before Federal District Court in Phoenix in the fall as defense lawyer fees continue to zoom upward
According to a Federal District Court joint status filing document just obtained by the Blog, no agreement was reached during the settlement conference held July 11 in Flagstaff between defendants Yavapai Community College, NorthAire, Guidance Academy and the former College Director of Aviation, Dan Hamilton. The July 11 settlement conference did not last a full business day (8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) The claims by Hamilton, if successful, expose the defendants to several millions of dollars in damages.
The case, which has dragged on for almost six years (2012-2019), will now be set for trial when the parties appear before Federal District Court judge Murray Snow September 20, 2019. A pretrial conference has been set for that date.
It appears from court documents (see earlier Blog posting) that there are ten defense lawyers involved (or were involved) in the case. The fees for the Community College apparently come from a tax supported trust of some sort that is designed to satisfy claims against Yavapai County entities.
Neither the College nor the spokesperson for the Governing Board, Ray Sigafoos, have commented on the lawsuit. No one from the College or Governing Board has explained to the public how much the Community College has already paid out (or incurred as debt) in defense lawyer fees. There has likewise been no explanation regarding the source of funds for paying the lawyer fees or who would pay a judgment, if the plaintiff is successful against the College. It appears the taxpayers are the ones who are or will pay the defense lawyer bills for the College regardless of outcome.
