Citizens For Quiet Skies Lose Court Case Against Mile-Hi Skydiving

Colorado Judge Judith LaBuda has found in favor of Mile-Hi Skydiving in a case brought by a citizens group complaining about noise from the company's airplanes.

The Times Call newspaper reports that earlier in July, Judge LaBude had awarded Mile-Hi nearly $68,000 in damages in the case brought by Citizens for Quiet Skies. Now, the judge says the citizen's group must also pay the skydiving company $48,000 in legal fees as well.

The Judge dismissed all but the negligence and nuisance claims, as well as dismissing the Citizens for Quiet Skies organization as a plaintiff. Attorneys for Mile-Hi had said that those complaints had been lodged in an attempt by the group to make the lawsuit "as difficult and expensive as possible."

In her summary ordering the payment of attorney's fees, LaBuda wrote that "The Court finds Citizens (for Quiet Skies') claims for damages to be substantially frivolous and groundless and lacking any factual basis."

Citizens for Quiet Skies organizer Kimberly Gibbs, said the group was planning to file a motion to reconsider the amount, which had been reduced from $58,420 requested by the attorney representing Mile-Hi, to $47,984. They have also filed with the Colorado Court of Appeals, asking for a review of LaBuda's original decision in favor of the skydiving business.

FMI: www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/County/Contact.cfm?County_ID=62