Legal Wars: Judge Puts Sign Company Lawsuits on Hold Pending Appeals Court Ruling
Federal Judge Audrey Collins
More than a dozen sign company lawsuits against the city of Los Angeles have been stayed by U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins pending a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on her ruling that the city’s 2002 ban on off-site advertising signs is unconstitutional.
In her ruling of August, 2008, in the case of World Wide Rush v. City of Los Angeles, Judge Collins found that ban was fatally flawed because it allowed exceptions for sign districts, specific plan areas, and approved development agreements. World Wide Rush, a Pennsylvania sign company, had been cited for putting up supergraphic signs in violation of the ban at several locations. After that ruling, a number of other sign companies filed lawsuits against the city seeking orders prohibiting enforcement of the ban against their advertising signs.
One of many supergraphic signs at issue in billboard lawsuits
The city appealed Judge Collins’s ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in the case last month. A ruling is expected within the next six months.
Dennis Hathaway
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[…] While Trutanich’s suit cites 27 defendents, it appears a showdown has been ongoing between one particular billboard company, World Wide Rush, and the City of Los Angeles for several years now: In her ruling of August, 2008, in the case of World Wide Rush v. City of Los Angeles, [U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins] found that ban was fatally flawed because it allowed exceptions for sign districts, specific plan areas, and approved development agreements. World Wide Rush, a Pennsylvania sign company, had been cited for putting up supergraphic signs in violation of the ban at several locations. After that ruling, a number of other sign companies filed lawsuits against the city seeking orders prohibiting enforcement of the ban against their advertising signs. (via Ban Billboard Blight) […]