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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
John R. Walton
Law Offices of John R. Walton, P.C.
Phone: 626.578.6000 Fax: 626.578.6012
LAWSUIT FILED TO SAVE
HANNAH CARTER JAPANESE GARDEN IN BEL AIR
Los Angeles, California, May 7, 2012 - A lawsuit was filed today
in the Los Angeles Superior Court to block the proposed sale of the historic
Hannah Carter Japanese Garden, which covers over an acre in Bel Air.
The plaintiffs are suing the Regents of the University of
California for breach of contract. The plaintiffs allege that the Regents
signed a contract to maintain the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden in perpetuity.
Instead, the Regents plan to sell the garden and keep the money.
The Regents acquired the garden years ago, along with an adjacent
parcel worth millions of dollars, from the late Edward and Hannah Carter
pursuant to a written agreement. The plaintiffs are the heirs of Hannah Carter.
They want the Court to order the Regents to preserve the garden, not sell it.
The Hannah Carter Japanese Garden was designed in 1959 by a
world-renowned Japanese landscape architect named Nagao Sakurai, and is modeled
on the gardens of Kyoto. It is recognized as one of the finest examples of
Japanese gardens in North America. Many structures in the garden, including the
main gate, the garden house, bridges and a shrine, were built in Japan and
reassembled here. Construction of the garden was completed in 1961.
The Regents' plan to sell the garden has generated national
attention and has been addressed by the Huffington Post (http://huff.to/IvGjJ1). Supporters of the garden have set up a
website: HannahCarterJapaneseGarden.com. According to the website, numerous
individuals and civic groups have signed an online petition urging the
Regents to save the garden, including the Los Angeles Conservancy,
the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the American Public Gardens
Association.
The original source of this press release and the lawsuit below was:
The text of the lawsuit can be read below:
In earlier posts on this blog, it has been noted that the UCLA Faculty Association does not have a position on the sale per se. However, concerns have been raised about the handling by UCLA of this matter, particularly as it may affect future donors who could have doubts about the long-term willingness to carry out the terms of donations.
In any event, it appears that now the lawyers are coming and the garden may have a second life:
Update: The Daily Bruin write-up on the lawsuit is at:
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