Facts

Stuart Titus and Caroline Titus sued the Humboldt County Fair Association, Jeff Farley, Cindy Olsen, John Burger, and Richard Conway, alleging violation of their first amendment rights.

PLAINTIFFS' CONTENTIONS:
Stuart Titus held the position of General Manager for the County Fair Association for 22 years until the board declined to renew his contract, allegedly in retaliation for his unwillingness to stop his wife from writing unfavorable pieces about board members in the paper they owned. Plaintiffs asserted claims for civil rights violations, defamation, intrusion, comprehensive computer data access and fraud violations, and Stored Communications Act violations.

DEFENDANTS' CONTENTIONS:
Defendants contended that plaintiff's poor work performance prompted the non-renewal of his contract. Defendants had a partial summary judgment pending based upon the policy maker exception that limits the right of an expert who was prepared to testify that both plaintiffs were ensnared in numerous conflicts of interest in connection with the management of the fair by Stuart Titus and the reporting upon the fair and the litigation by Caroline Titus. Defendants retained an expert to refute the allegations of improper computer data access on their part.

Result

The parties reached a $150,000 settlement.

Other Information

According to defense, $60,000 of the settlement will go toward plaintiffs' attorney fees. The settlement will be paid by the Humboldt County Fair Association's Joint Powers Authority risk pool, California Fair Services Authority. Neither party admitted liability as part of the settlement. FILING DATE: March 5, 2014.