BOGUS MANEUVER; SKATEBOARDING TRIO MISLED ABOUT SUIT.Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer Although he wore a Mickey's beer T-shirt and could be reached only at a pay phone, Steven Dean Garcia managed to convince three teen-agers that he was a savvy attorney who could help them sue the city over a skateboard park. With Garcia's assistance, the Glendale skateboarders each filed $100,000 claims against Glendale, charging that the city had ``ruined'' their summer because it had delayed construction of a $150,000 skating facility. But according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the State Bar Association, Garcia had never been licensed to practice law in California, making him unfit unfit not properly prepared, e.g. physically incapable of performing hard work as in racing, because of lack of training. Said also of food prepared unhygienically. unfit for human consumption to represent the teen-agers in a legal challenge against the city. What's more, the 42-year-old was arrested Thursday on two outstanding warrants, including one that stemmed from a 1996 conviction on a misdemeanor child molestation Child molestation is a crime involving a range of indecent or sexual activities between an adult and a child, usually under the age of 14. In psychiatric terms, these acts are sometimes known as pedophilia. charge, said Glendale police Sgt. Rick Young. One warrant accuses Garcia of failing to show up for a probation-required meeting, and the other involves a charge of shoplifting Ask a Lawyer Question Country: United States of America State: Florida caught shoplifting at sears 12/05/05, first time, 20yearsold, have no criminal record. , Young said. The three Glendale teen-agers said Garcia never endangered en·dan·ger tr.v. en·dan·gered, en·dan·ger·ing, en·dan·gers 1. To expose to harm or danger; imperil. 2. To threaten with extinction. them in any way. But their parents, who all have told their children to drop the claims, expressed shock and relief upon hearing of Garcia's arrest. ``This could have turned out a lot worse,'' said Hank Cunnington, father of Chris Cunnington, 14. ``It seems like something you see on `Hard Copy.' '' A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. spokeswoman said Friday that Garcia would be held at the Men's Central Jail in lieu of Instead of; in place of; in substitution of. It does not mean in addition to. $15,000 bail. According to Cunnington's son Chris, 14, Robert Valentine, 14, and Daniel Baghdasarian, 15, Garcia approached them about four weeks ago when they were having lunch at a Central Avenue fast-food restaurant. All skateboarding skateboarding Form of recreation, popular among youths, in which a person rides standing balanced on a small board mounted on wheels. The skateboard first appeared in the early 1960s on paved areas along California beaches as a makeshift diversion for surfers when the ocean enthusiasts, the teen-agers had been anxiously awaiting the park's opening because it meant they wouldn't have to risk tickets for skating ramps and stairs in Glendale's downtown. They said Garcia told them that he was a lawyer and that they could win at least $5,000 each by filing a claim against the city of Glendale over the skate park. ``He said we have a really good case,'' Daniel said. ``He said the city lied to us'' about the skateboard park's completion date. But Glendale City Attorney Scott Howard Scott Howard sings baritone with the Southern Gospel Quartet Legacy Five. He has been with the group since its inception in 2000. External Links Legacy Five's Homepage and other legal experts say that was where Garcia's con began. Howard said anyone under 18 cannot file a claim against the city unless they are represented by their parents, a guardian or an attorney. Further, Howard said the claim never had any merits, even though the skateboard park was been delayed. Howard said the city never signed any contract with the three teen-agers or anyone else binding the city to a set completion date. ``We understand their potential individual frustration,'' Howard said. Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born 1953) is a well-known professor of Constitutional law and federal civil procedure, has recently accepted a position at the University of California, Irvine, in the new Donald Bren School of Law, beginning in 2009. , a constitutional law professor at the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission , said he believed a judge would have thrown out the suit as ``frivolous Of minimal importance; legally worthless. A frivolous suit is one without any legal merit. In some cases, such an action might be brought in bad faith for the purpose of harrassing the defendant. .'' A recently released city document estimates that the park now could be completed in the summer of 1998. Whether Garcia knew that the teen-agers really had no legal leg to stand on is unclear. The teen-agers said they met Garcia about four times - always at City Hall on Broadway Avenue - to fill out the claims, which they filed on Aug. 15 with the city. According to the teen-agers, Garcia would arrange to meet them by paging Chris from a pay phone, where Garcia said his legal practice was based. Although Garcia often showed up in jeans, the beer T-shirt and a duffel bag containing his files, he appeared to know a lot about law, the teen-agers said. The parents of the three boys said at first they didn't object to their children filing the claims as a way to put pressure on the city, but they also admitted that they knew too little about Garcia early on. Daniel's mother, Kim Baghdasarian, said she became concerned when she learned Garcia was not asking for any compensation in return for representing the trio. ``I got suspicious,'' Baghdasarian said. ``What does an attorney want with a few kids?'' Bill Valentine, Robert's father, said his son told him that Garcia had mentioned taking the teen-agers to Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , alarming both the father and son. ``He said, `You know dad, I think this guy's behavior is a little unusual,' '' Valentine said. According to court records, Garcia was convicted on Feb. 22, 1996, on a child molestation charge, sentenced to 45 days in jail and compelled to attend 26 weekly meetings for sexual compulsives. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: A man posing as a lawyer approached skateboarders Robert Valentine, left, Chris Cunnington, center, and Daniel Baghdasarian about filing $100,000 claims against Glendale. Myung J. Chun/Daily News |
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