MUDDY SUITS:

Last week’s ruling in the lawsuits resulting from La Conchita’s
fatal mudslide in January 2005 did not bode well for La Conchita
residents. A Ventura County Superior Court judge dismissed
allegations of negligence and trespassing against Ventura County,
and ruled that claims against the small seaside town’s uphill
neighbor, the La Conchita Ranch, needed substantiation before
litigation can proceed. On a positive note for the plaintiffs, all
of the wrongful death suits were allowed to go forward. When the
hills came down on La Conchita early last winter, 10 people died
and 15 houses were destroyed.