River Park Square Lawyers To Help City Fight Lawsuits

Attorneys for River Park Square will be permitted to intervene in three cases filed against the city of Spokane, a Superior Court judge decided Friday.

The three cases also will be consolidated and handled as one, Judge Michael E. Donohue ruled.

Attorney Steve Eugster filed three cases on behalf of three different groups. Among the allegations in the lawsuits are that an emergency ordinance passed last month by the City Council was illegal, that the council’s action violated the city charter and that no public purpose was served by the city’s actions.

Last month, the council passed an emergency ordinance, stating the need for public parking and deciding unanimously to pledge city parking meter money to help pay expenses for River Park Square’s new parking garage, if garage revenues fall short. The garage will be part of the $100 million redevelopment of the shopping center.

Stan Schultz, an attorney for River Park Square, argued that the lawsuits make specific allegations about the development, making intervention necessary to protect the developers’ interests.

Eugster disagreed, arguing that River Park Square had no interest in two of three of the cases and that attorneys for the city were capable of handling the lawsuits without help from the developer’s attorneys.

, DataTimes