Business Forced To Close When Lease Expired

Justice Aviation will be closing its doors at the end of next week, and will vacate its offices at Santa Monica Airport by June 10th.

The flight school and the city came to an agreement that was approved by the city council last week. Justice Aviation will receive $450,000 from the city to compensate it for the closure.

Along with the cash payout, the agreement calls for Justice to withdraw a federal lawsuit challenging an attempted eviction from the airport, as well as two filings the school has made with the FAA. It also will end Justice's participation in a class action lawsuit against the city challenging "excessive and unreasonable landing fees" recently imposed by the city, according to the Santa Monica Lookout.

Justice signed its most recent lease with the city in 2008, and it expired June 30th last year. The company began operating on a month-to-month basis, but was served with a 30-day notice "to termination of tenancy" in January. The company did not leave, and the city issued an eviction notice.

Justice Aviation fought back with a lawsuit alleging that the city was violating its First Amendment rights, and claiming that the eviction was in retaliation to its being involved in three legal actions against the city.

The settlement ends a dispute between the flight school, which has operated at KSMO for 23 years and the city which wants to close the airport entirely.

Last month, city and FAA attorneys appeared before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal to make arguments about the future of the airport. A decision from that three-judge panel is pending, but regardless of which way the decision goes, it is unlikely that it will be the final word in the ongoing dispute.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.smgov.net, www.santamonicaairport.info