Friday, December 15, 2006

Jet owner suffers final loss?pays up

Ronald Tutor writes $147,000 check to Friedman authorities


By PAT MURPHY
Express Staff Writer

California multimillionaire Ronald Tutor has conceded defeat in a drawn-out legal dispute with Friedman Memorial Airport by finally paying legal fees to the airport and its insurance carrier in his futile attempt to land his oversized 737-type Boeing Business Jet at Friedman.

Airport attorney Barry Luboviski told the airport's governing board at its Wednesday night meeting of Tutor's payment totaling some $147,000.

Tutor, who has a vacation home north of Ketchum, in 2003 threatened to land the Boeing at Friedman despite the airport's 95,000-pound weight limit for aircraft. After the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority told Tutor through his attorneys that it would attempt to have the pilot's license revoked, Tutor abandoned the threat.

But, Tutor sued in federal court, claiming his constitutional rights were violated and his ability to travel was impaired.

Federal District Court Judge Lynn Winmill dismissed the lawsuit, ruling Tutor at worst was simply inconvenienced by Friedman's regulations, and Tutor was ordered to pay attorneys' fees. Tutor also reportedly owns a smaller Gulfstream jet that is allowed to land.

Tutor's attorneys also failed to file an appeal on the attorneys' fees on time.

In all, Luboviski said some $750,000 was spent by the airport defending the lawsuit but which was covered by a $1 million insurance policy.




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