◼ Sohum developer Bob McKee has been ordered to pay $200,000 in fines to Humboldt County in the culmination of a costly 11-year lawsuit over McKee’s purchase and division of Tooby Ranch near Garberville. - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Journal Blogthing
...The county spent at least $3 million pursuing the court case since 2004. That figure was released by the county following a separate lawsuit.
In his ruling, Reinholtsen wrote that “both sides acted reasonably but imperfectly” and said McKee could be credited for believing he was following the law when he divided the land.
“The evidence did not support the notion that he is a victim of local government run amok,” Reinholtsen wrote. “At the same time, he cannot be reduced to the caricature of a greedy land developer who flouts the law in the careless pursuit of profits.”
The ruling is not final. Both parties have 20 days to file objections with the court.
