CHAMBER SAYS IT PLANS TO FIGHT SUIT.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer Responding to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court, an attorney for the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce issued a statement saying the organization did not defame de·fame tr.v. de·famed, de·fam·ing, de·fames 1. To damage the reputation, character, or good name of by slander or libel. See Synonyms at malign. 2. Archaic To disgrace. 10 former members who were ousted for ``conduct unbecoming Conduct Unbecoming is a play by Barry England. The plot concerns a scandal in a British regiment stationed in India in the 1880s. The widow of a heroic officer is assaulted by an unrevealed comrade in arms and an investigation takes place to determine his identity. .'' The lawsuit, filed June 9, alleges the 10 former chamber members were ousted in March to silence their criticism of the organization's management and to prevent them from serving in leadership positions. The lawsuit alleges the 10 were later libeled in a chamber press release that also was published in the organization's newsletter. ``The lawsuit is without merit and will be vigorously defended,'' attorney Sue Ann Howard said in a statement released Thursday. ``The Palmdale Chamber of Commerce removed the 13 directors for `conduct unbecoming' and intimidating chamber staff members.'' The lawsuit states the former members were libeled in a March 19 press release from the chamber regarding their ouster ouster n. 1) the wrongful dispossession (putting out) of a rightful owner or tenant of real property, forcing the party pushed out of the premises to bring a lawsuit to regain possession. . That press release, the suit said, stated the 10 former members had screamed vulgarities and racial slurs and sexually harassed chamber members and staff. The lawsuit was filed of behalf of Janet Varner, Alan Coon coon: see raccoon. , Don Ryan, Rita Yatsko, David Yatsko, Frank Garcia Jr., Cynthia Garcia, Judith Bennett, Robert Bennett and Michael Hill. The lawsuit names as defendants the chamber; Leigh Engdahl, the chamber's executive director; chamber President Sherri Weible; past President Cheryl Duggan; and chamber directors Dale Moist, Vicki Connor, Cecilia Lum n. 1. A chimney. 2. A ventilating chimney over the shaft of a mine. 3. A woody valley; also, a deep pool. , Sandy Corrales and Rogers Persons. The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive and exemplary damages exemplary damages n. often called punitive damages, these are damages requested and/or awarded in a lawsuit when the defendant's willful acts were malicious, violent, oppressive, fraudulent, wanton, or grossly reckless. , the re-reinstatement of the ousted members' chamber memberships, including returning Varner, Coon and Ryan to their directorships; the nullification nullification, in U.S. history, a doctrine expounded by the advocates of extreme states' rights. It held that states have the right to declare null and void any federal law that they deem unconstitutional. of the chamber's previous directors election; and a new directors election. The lawsuit also asks for the removal of Duggan, Moist, Lum, Weible, Person and Conner from their directorships and that Duggan and Weible be barred from re-election for a period of five years. The 10 people filing the lawsuit were among 13 chamber members ousted by the chamber March 11. Also removed were Tim Shpall, Bernie Longjohn and Dianna Pangburn. At a March 17 press conference, the ousted members said they were removed to prevent them from running for director seats at a chamber election in which six seats on the 21-member board were open. |
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