Gypsies’ Suit In City’s Lap County To Pay City $390,000 And Wash Hands Of Liability

Spokane County commissioners Tuesday threw in their cards over the massive Marks family lawsuit, folding for perhaps a penny on the dollar.

Commissioners gambled that it was worth giving $390,000 to the city of Spokane to shed a $40 million lawsuit filed by the Marks family.

Now responsibility for potential damages falls solely to city taxpayers.

Chris Anderson, the lone City Council holdout the night before over whether to accept the county’s money and assume its legal liability, applauded the commission’s move.

“As good as this is for your county constituents, I think it’s going to be a fiasco for the city,” said Anderson, who also is an independent candidate for the county commission.

The Marks family sued after a 1986 city and county police raid of the homes of Jimmy and Grover Marks.

Several state courts have ruled the raids were illegal even though they turned up $1.6 million in cash and $500,000 in jewelry, some later identified as stolen.

The case remains in federal court.

In other action, commissioners delayed for two weeks a decision on whether to keep the door-to-door pet licensing program.

Commissioner Steve Hasson, a critic of what he perceives as strong-arm tactics by countycontracted solicitors, said he received few citizen complaints in recent weeks.

Therefore, Hasson said, the program would remain “essentially” intact, although modifications might be in order.

Commissioners also accepted $500,000 in state money to help buy pristine property near Big Rock, south of the Ponderosa development in the Spokane Valley.

County parks and recreation manager Wyn Birkenthal said the 700-acre wildlife and hiking haven in the Iller Creek drainage is appraised at $902,000. The grant is for half the purchase price, or up to $500,000.

, DataTimes