A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the City of Santa Monica that sought to wrestle control of Santa Monica Airport away from the U.S government. The reason the lawsuit failed? Santa Monica filed the suit about 50 years too late.
City officials asserted that Santa Monica never relinquished ownership of the airport property when it leased the land to the government for use as a military airfield and manufacturing base before World War II, thus voiding any subsequent agreements with the FAA requiring the city to maintain the airport. The city wants to shut the airport down.
The FAA argued that the city’s claim is invalid under the Quiet Title Act, which establishes a 12-year deadline for any property disputes brought against the federal government once the government establishes an interest in the property. That deadline came and went after World War II ended.
In making his ruling to dismiss the lawsuit, the judge also found that the federal government had not abandoned its interest in the airport property, and that the city had not been denied its rights.
Left unanswered is whether a settlement agreement between the city and the federal government will someday expire. The city says yes, the FAA says no — at least not until 2023, as specified by federal airport improvement grants.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.
We welcome your comments on flyingmag.com. In order to maintain a respectful environment, we ask that all comments be on-topic, respectful and spam-free. All comments made here are public and may be republished by Flying.
