Legal News

Blackwater sues San Diego

By Jason Siegel

Military contractor Blackwater Worldwide filed a lawsuit against the city of San Diego to restore its occupancy permit for a Navy training facility, KPBS reported (LISTEN).

City officials issued the permit and then took it back on May 16 after Mayor Jerry Sanders issued a stop work order and City Attorney Mike Aguirre wrote an opinion that the project needed further review, the Associated Press reported.

Blackwater claims the permit was taken to appeal to critics of the company as Sanders and Aguirre run for reelection on June 3. Blackwater, the largest private security firm in Iraq, is being investigated over allegations of weapons smuggling and involvement in the death of 17 Iraqi civilians, the AP reported.

Aguirre told KPBS that the company could wait for a more thorough review and that the suit was inappropriate.

Blackwater claims it was a last resort and that they could lose a $400 million Navy training contract if the center doesn't open by June 2, the AP reported.

A hearing is set for June 2.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 28, 2008 (boomark / email).