Judge reverses decision on Port of L.A. lawsuit

Judge reverses decision on Port of L.A. lawsuit The Port of Los Angeles could face a legal challenge from a local resident over the misappropriation of government funds after a federal judge reversed his decision to throw the case out, the Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend.
   The lawsuit, filed originally in 2002, alleges that the port used $1.2 billion to build a container terminal on reclaimed land when the port indicated to nearby residents that the reclaimed land would be used for petroleum and hazardous material terminals. The island, which sits farther away from residential neighborhoods than other terminals in the port, is now occupied by APM Terminals' Pier 400 facility, the biggest marine terminal in North America.
   Stanley Moser, a resident of nearby Rancho Palos Verdes, filed the lawsuit and represented himself in the case. Last year, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero threw out the case because he decided Moser was unqualified to try a case 'in which the U.S. government had an interest in potential monetary damages,' even after Moser hired an attorney, the Times reported.
   But Otero reversed his decision this month.
   The port told the Times that the decision to turn the reclaimed land into a container terminal resulted in a change in market conditions, with container terminals in high demand and oil and chemical terminals less interested committing to the costly project.