It was a fascinating, and unusual, juxtaposition from where the dragon-slayer among anti-eminent domain lawyers was sitting.
Robert P. Silverstein of Pasadena had told the newspaper last summer that he intended for Marc Chiat, his under-siege client on fast-emptying Exposition Boulevard, to be the last business standing.
Indeed, he had no plans to fold.
The Plan
Mr. Silverstein was intending to hold out until next November’s election when he anticipated a lifeboat might sail into view.
His strategy was that a new incarnation of last year’s solidly defeated anti-eminent domain proposition could be brought to the ballot, stopping City Hall in its tracks.
Then, with Mr. Chiat dealing from a stronger position, he could decide whether to sell, with dignity,and largely on his terms.
Settlement, however, has been reached, as the newspaper reported recently.
For now, the terms are veiled from public view.
A Fighting Artist
Mr. Chiat, characterized by his attorney as “an artist/fighter, which some people find to be an unusual combination,” spends part of each year with his family in Europe, which is where they presently are berthed.
Will Mr. Chiat move his enterprise elsewhere inside of Culver City?
First, Mr. Silverstein interjected, another question must be settled.
Mr. Chiat “probably” will return to the United States, his lawyer said, but he could not be positive.
Answering with Care
In explaining the change, Mr. Silverstein chose his response with the care of a brain surgeon operating on an infant. He could not reveal the terms without consulting with Mr. Chiat, he said.
But he was very clear that if anybody moved, if anyone modified a stance, it was City Hall, although he did not say so forthrightly.
“The parties have come to a resolution that is more equitable, far fairer to my client than before,” Mr. Silverstein said.
Who Blinked First?
Since the lawyer owns a giant-killer image, he was asked if he had made City Hall blink.
His answer:
“The city was perhaps more sensitive to the hardships it had imposed on innocent business and property owners.
“The city also corrected some things it had done earlier.”
