Local officials get slapped on the wrist but the taxpayers pay the price for their shenanigans – PB/TK
Miners win $100 million from Sacramento County in political influence case – ANDY FURILLO – March 21 2017
A federal court jury on Tuesday awarded more than $100 million in damages to two gravel mining families that accused Sacramento County government officials of putting them out of business for the benefit of the rival Teichert Construction company.
After a day and a half of deliberations, the U.S. District Court panel in Sacramento awarded $75 million in compensatory damages to Joe and Yvette Hardesty and $30 million to the Jay Schneider family.
The verdict also hit three county officials with punitive damages, including Roger Dickinson, the former state Assembly member who was chairman of the Board of Supervisors when the county imposed a cease and desist order on the joint Hardesty-Schneider mining operation. The jurors found Dickinson liable for a $25,000 award against the Schneiders only.
Retired Sacramento County Planning Director planner Robert Sherry was hit with $750,000 in punitive damages against the two families, while jurors awarded the Schneiders $1 million from county aggregate resource manager Jeff Gamel.
In the trial that lasted more than a month, the plaintiffs charged that what was known as the “Historic Schneider Mine” had been running for decades as a “vested” operation with approval from Sacramento County. The Hardestys, who leased the mine located off of Meiss Road in the Sloughhouse area from the Schneider family ranching operation, charged in court papers that the county’s attitude changed after they “caught the attention of influential competitors like Teichert.”
“Teichert’s newer mines require expensive permits, and it was upset that Hardesty enjoyed a vested right and was able to offer better prices to customers of aggregate,” the Hardestys’ attorneys, G. David Robertson of Reno and R. Paul Yetter of Houston, said in a trial brief. Teichert then “brought its political influence to bear on government agencies and entities, including the County, which acquiesced.”
Outside court, Yetter said in response to the verdict, “This was a very hard-working jury. They listened for weeks very carefully, and we’re gratified with the verdict they rendered.”
Sacramento County’s privately-retained lawyer, Gregory O’Dea, said he will try to get U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to overturn the verdict in post-trial motions.
“We appreciate the jury’s service and very hard work, but we respectfully disagree with the jury’s conclusion,” said O’Dea, who represented the named defendants as well as the county. “We think it’s not supported by the evidence.
