Government Must Pay in Ploy for Redwoods (government conduct like that of a "cosa nostra")

Los Angeles Times ^ | August 25, 2005 | Tim Reiterman and E. Scott Reckard

[John Jorsett]

SAN FRANCISCO — A judge in Houston has ordered the federal government to pay $72 million to a company controlled by financier Charles Hurwitz, after concluding that federal banking officials had filed baseless legal actions against Hurwitz at the behest of California environmentalists.

Likening the government's conduct to that of a "cosa nostra," U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes said Tuesday that regulators had a hidden political agenda when they sued Hurwitz and Maxxam Inc. a decade ago over the failure of a Texas thrift.

The judge said the move was designed to force Hurwitz into giving up thousands of acres of California redwoods owned by Pacific Lumber Co., which Maxxam had acquired in a takeover.

Hurwitz was under fire because Pacific Lumber had been cutting old-growth redwoods at an accelerated rate in Humboldt County along the state's North Coast. Environmental groups urged some politicians and the Clinton administration to push for a lawsuit by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. that would set in motion a "debt for nature" deal.

Their hope was that the federal government would win a judgment large enough to pressure Hurwitz into turning the redwood forest over to the federal government.

[ZGuy]

This just brightened my day. Thanks.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Very interesting....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Reveals the DemonicRats moneymaking schemes and why the Supreme Court is so important to them!

And why Roberts must be confirmed...

[NormsRevenge]

Oh my.

[NormsRevenge]

Reagan appointee .. and a Texan to boot!

---

Hughes, Lynn Nettleton
Born 1941 in Houston, TX

Federal Judicial Service:
U. S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
Nominated by Ronald Reagan on October 16, 1985, to a seat vacated by Robert O`Conor, Jr.; Confirmed by the Senate on December 16, 1985, and received commission on December 17, 1985.

Education:
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, B.A., 1963

University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1966

University of Virginia School of Law, LL.M., 1992

Professional Career:
Private practice, Houston, Texas, 1966-1979
President, Southwest Resources, Houston, Texas, 1969-1970
Judge, 165th Judicial District, State of Texas, 1979-1980
Judge, 189th Judicial District, State of Texas, 1981-1985
Adjunct professor, South Texas College of Law, 1973-present
Adjunct professor, University of Texas School of Law, 1990-1991


Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male

[Jaysun]

Glory be.

[BigBobber]

The judge said the move was designed to force Hurwitz into giving up thousands of acres of California redwoods owned by Pacific Lumber Co., which Maxxam had acquired in a takeover.

BTW, ordinary people can't walk on the $480M preserve they paid for. You must be accompanied by a "guide" - a liberal environmentalist who will tell you how to behave.

[Enterprise]

I think this type of tactic has been used elsewhere. Groups get land declared as wetlands, or some such nonsense, thus ruining its development value. Then they move in and buy the land cheap.

[Roccus]

"This just brightened my day."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, it doesn't brighten mine. While I'm glad that this form of government extortion has been proven in court, it's you, me and the rest of the taxpayers of this country who are going to have to pay this $72,000,000.00!
I would rather some of the bureaucrats, tree huggers and corrupt politicians that orchestrated this extortion have a stay in the Gray Bar Hotel. That's something I would not mind paying for.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The Money needs to be collected from the enviromentalists......I agree!

[Grampa Dave]

Good news.

Enviral Costra Nostra Watermelons and their lawyers take another hit.

[Grampa Dave]

No wonder the lunatic maggots of the left are afraid of GW's judicial appointees!

Thanks for posting this good news.

[bookworm100]

I would rather some of the bureaucrats, tree huggers and corrupt politicians that orchestrated this extortion have a stay in the Gray Bar Hotel. That's something I would not mind paying for.

Let's start with the junior Senator from New York. Under the "two for one" rule, she ran domestic policy in 1995.

[Roccus]

No argument here.

[Diddle E. Squat]

BTW, ordinary people can't walk on the $480M preserve they paid for. You must be accompanied by a "guide" - a liberal environmentalist who will tell you how to behave.

Well, considering how many times dopeheads would plant pot in the public forests and then booby trap the surrounding area, that makes sense.

[talleyman]

Supreme Court material!

[talleyman]

it's you, me and the rest of the taxpayers of this country who are going to have to pay this $72,000,000.00!

I think we should pay him back in land - he-he-hee...

[Roccus]

Precisely, he should have been awarded his land back. But being another member of the ruling class, this judge has placed the restitution on the US taxpayer. What does he care. As earlier posts show, he comes out a star!

[tubebender]

My wife woke me up early this morning to show me the LOCAL STORY.

There is a lot to see so read it through. Darrell Cherney is the Big Guru of the local Earth Dirt First Terrorist organization and made headlines when a bomb blew up under the seat of his Subaru a few years back but didn't kill him. He sued and won a case against the City of Oakland and the FBI for false arrest. They claimed he was transporting the bomb..