Scoop! Attari vs. Alameda Lawsuit Settled
It’s a sad day in Alameda for oh, so many people. See comment below.
Everyone will remember the tragedy of Dr. Attari, who drove off the end of Grand Street into the Estuary. Her death prompted a lawsuit against the city for $30 million.
Now some people in this city have tried to make political hay out of the tragedy, and even resorted to claiming that the city was on the verge of bankruptcy because of it. (you have to stretch when you’re original claims are resoundingly debunked!)
Well the suit has been settled. For $2.25 million. And, as reported by Michele at The Island, the amount is covered by the California Joint Powers Risk Management Authority, thus no drain on the city’s general fund, and thus, no bankruptcy. (It really must get tiring being oh so wrong, oh so often).
And thus concludes another sad chapter in Alameda.
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AD
May 4th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I hope no member of the Atari family ever comes across this obtuse mixing of their real tragedy with your lame attempts at sarcasm! “Sad day for oh, so many people”? Bleh!!!!! I cringe for you!
John Knox White
May 4th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
The point was not to discuss the merits of the case, or the tragedy, but to point out that the small group of people using this tragedy for their own political ends (the city is going bankrupt!) including sending out press releases and seeking out press attention for their cause have yet again failed to hit the target while disrespecting the true tragedy in all this, which was the death of a person.
AD
May 4th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
There was a point? Darn, I missed it! Your insensitivity must have blinded me.
Chris Kidd
May 4th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Man, it is true what they say: the prettier the town, the snarkier and pettier the residents.
Good meeting you at the blog part, John.
Mindy
May 4th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
The “scoop” is insensitive. The snarky remark, aimed at one person who you do not like, comes across as opportunistic. In other words, you are acting much like the person for whom you express distaste.
DL Morrison
May 4th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
This is really crass. I can’t imagine what cause you think you’re advancing by doing this — and certainly not here. Alameda is such a neighborly place, with such a strong sense of consideration for others, this sort of comment is just totally out of place here.
notadave
May 5th, 2009 at 8:06 am
And yet, when the tragedy of the Attari’s loss has been so blatantly debased over the last few months for their own purposes by actionalamedasoca, none of you spoke out about how crass that was.
John Knox White
May 5th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
So Mindy’s comment sat with me last night. It was never my intention to tie the Attari tragedy to the issue of the inappropriate use of the tragedy. However, I definitely see that my intro language might lead people to believe I meant to do so. I’ve adjusted the text above and apologize for my poor choice of words.
DL Morrison
May 5th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Thanks for amending this. The “oh so wrong” doesn’t sound especially appropriate either.
The reference to $30M should include both the Attari lawsuit (which originally asked $11M), plus the still outstanding suits re AP&T telecom. So, it appears that the telecom suit was asking around $20M, and still is.
It’s not surprising that the Attari suit was covered by insurance as it’s a form of negligence, but it’s not clear whether any kind of insurance would cover AP&T lawsuits.
I am certainly not rooting for the city to go bankrupt, but I am worried about its finances, and at this point these lawsuits seem to be the least of our worries. It shouldn’t be exploited but it can’t be ignored either.
Mindy
May 5th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Thank you.
AD
May 5th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Better. Not that I care for your sarcasm in the first place, but better.
BC
May 5th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Thanks, John. Others could learn from your example. And you’ll never make AD happy; it’s just not who she is.
AD
May 5th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
BC, you wanna have coffee with me sometime? I want to find out who YOU are.