Mediation talks fail in Hope Mills Lake dam suit
By Rodger Mullen, The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"The town remains open to settling this matter, but if the parties cannot settle the suit, the case will be tried as scheduled in July and August," town officials said in a news release.
Mayor
"We came in optimistic and we continue to be optimistic, just no agreement was reached," Warner said. "Right now, we'll continue to work toward the July hearing date."
Town Attorney
"We still feel very good about our position in the case," Morphis said. "We went in hoping we could settle it today and that could still happen."
The town filed a lawsuit in
The suit names
The case is scheduled to be heard starting
The dam was completed less than two years before it was breached. It replaced an 80-year-old earthen structure that failed in heavy rains in 2003.
Morphis said the talks were held at the
Morphis said all the parties were together in the same room only at the beginning of the process Wednesday morning. After that, they met separately with Perkinson.
"We had very little interaction with the defendants," Morphis said. "It was all through the mediator."
Morphis said town attorneys are still hopeful the suit can be settled to the town's satisfaction, but are prepared to go to trial. He said there is no further mediation scheduled now, but there could be in the future. He noted that the mediator did not declare an impasse in the case.
Warner said she was not dejected over the failure of the talks.
"It's not the last chance for settlement," she said. "We just didn't reach an agreement today."
Staff writer
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