WEST COVINA : Landfill Operator Sues City, Alleges Harassment
BKK Corp., stepping up its legal battle to keep its landfill open, has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of West Covina, city officials and community activists alleging that they are harassing the operator to force it to close the dump.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court, alleges that the city has acted to “paralyze operations at the landfill and force its early closure” by, among other things, imposing new taxes and putting out information implying that emissions from the landfill are causing cancer.
West Covina City Atty. Betsy Dixon on Monday called the lawsuit “just one more tactic by a landfill operator to stay open.”
The city and BKK Corp. are awaiting trial in Superior Court in another lawsuit. The city contends that BKK agreed in 1985 to close down this year. BKK says that it made no such agreement and that it needs to stay open at least until 1999 to make enough money to maintain the site.
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