‘The Hole’ trial: Closing statements not likely before Wednesday

gavel.jpgThis is the third week of the trial for the consolidated lawsuits filed over Fauntleroy Place, aka “The Hole,” also nicknamed “Hole Foods” before Whole Foods pulled out of the two-years-stalled West Seattle project (in which its role was only that as a tenant for the supposed-to-be-finished-by-now building). With the end of the trial drawing near, WSB contributor Katie Meyer is monitoring the courtroom action. She says the schedule that King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead and staff projected last week appears to be stretching out a bit – the judge said late today that the way things are going, closing statements are NOT likely tomorrow after all, Katie reports. Today’s witnesses included people from Seattle Capital, who had financed the project – John Huddleston and Robert Story, Jr. – as well as brief questioning of Nicholas Chase from Affordable Abatement, which worked on asbestos removal and interior demolition, regarding tens of thousands they say they had to write off that was owed to them for their work on the project. One of the main things the trial is supposed to determine is who owes who what and in what order; until that’s all settled, the site can’t move on to its next phase, which is prospective ownership by “3922 SW Alaska LLC,” related to Madison Development. Katie’s writing up more notes from court right now, to be added here later.

5 Replies to "'The Hole' trial: Closing statements not likely before Wednesday"

  • Shari November 1, 2010 (8:58 pm)

    Since you mentioned grocery stores. Any word on trader joe’s moving in?

    • WSB November 1, 2010 (9:54 pm)

      We checked a month ago with the site owner’s spokesperson re: Trader Joe’s. He said they expected to file officially for the building permit within a month. Now that a month’s gone by, we’re going to wait for a bit of a grace period and then check again, since it appears nothing’s happened yet – TR

  • Shari November 1, 2010 (10:43 pm)

    WSB, thanks for the great follow up.

    • WSB November 1, 2010 (11:02 pm)

      Thanks – we’re trying, even knowing that we are probably missing some of the nuances, not having been able to be in court from the first moment of the trial (let alone all the motions that have been argued and ruled on over these many months), but in this case, with nobody else covering it, at least we can tell you the trial’s still under way, and we can report the verdict when it comes in, since nothing’s going to happen with The Hole until the legal squabbling’s settled, and it can’t just sit like that forever … TR

  • Good luck! November 2, 2010 (2:56 pm)

    Ugh.. Susan Craighead? She is the worst judge ever!

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