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Ice Arena Back in the News: State Board Opens a Probe

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Re “Two Separate Complaints Filed Against Alliance by Karagozian, Lewis”

Four months and 16 days after the Culver City Ice Arena closed down, setting off a spectacular line of legal fireworks and recriminations, an investigation into wrongdoing is under way.

In the midst of a series of controversial inspections of the aging ice rink’s fitness, Alliance Industrial Refrigeration Services, Inc., of Walnut, filed an eye-catching, unorthodox report.

The dynamite document was said to be heavily laced with errors and included charges of undue pressure from the Culver City Fire Dept.

In early March, one month after owner Michael Karagozian voluntarily closed the arena, anticipating a change of ownership, and during a legal stalemate with City Hall that involuntarily kept the rink shuttered, attorney Nadine Lewis filed complaints.

Her complaint with the state Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists was directed against Alliance and the role it allegedly played in darkening the 52-year-old arena.

Her complaint charged that “the Alliance report was written by a salesperson who never has been to the property.”

Ms. Lewis told the newspaper that “the Board of Engineering called me (yesterday), and they have just begun their investigation related to my complaints against Alliance.

“This is the formal complaint against Alliance, Grant Golding and David Smith.  It is not a lawsuit. It is a complaint with the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. They have the authority to investigate complaints of violations of the Professional Engineers Act, the Professional Land Surveyors' Act, and the Geologist and Geophysicist Act, such as fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, negligence, incompetence, breach of contract, failure to use a written contract, failure to record of survey map, aiding and abetting, violating the Codes of Professional Conduct, and practicing without a license.”

“Enforcement actions include, but are not limited to, suspending licenses, revoking licenses, placing licensees on probation, issuing administrative citations, and referring the matter to the district attorney for criminal prosecution.”