The city has paid $389,764 to settle a claim tied to a case involving a former golf vendor who claims he was wrongfully terminated in 1997. City pays nearly $390,000
to settle golf vendor’s suit
Star-Bulletin staff
Terry Gorham, who held the concession at the city's Ala Wai, Pali, Ewa Villages and Ted Makalena courses, had won his case in U.S. District Court in May 2000. However, the jury, after more than three days of deliberations, awarded him only $1 in damages.
The jury found the city failed to give Gorham access to the courses to provide golf lessons. Gorham claimed the city's actions cost him up to $4.5 million in potential income.
The city had conceded there were breaches on certain contracts but disputed the amount of the damages. The case had been on appeal before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said the city agreed to pay only $50,000 to Gorham. The rest of the money was in attorney fees and other costs.
"It became obvious to all concerned after Mr. Gorham's case was on appeal that it was eventually going to be sent back to the District Court here in Honolulu for retrial of the issue of how much the city owed Mr. Gorham in damages," said Steve Jacobson, Gorham's attorney. "The prospect of several more years of litigation created an incentive for everyone to settle."
The jury denied the city's countersuit for three months of back rent at Ala Wai totaling $33,000. Gorham had disputed the back rent because he felt the city had breached his contract.
He has since moved back to his native Oklahoma.
City & County of Honolulu
