SANTA BARBARA The Santa Barbara City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to execute a legal services agreement with Slaughter, Reagan & Cole, LLP for special counsel services regarding the lawsuit with Flightline Restaurant.
“This case requires litigation support levels that we cannot sustain in-house given our other litigation. Given the potential financial exposure to the City, retention of outside counsel is warranted and necessary,” City Attorney Ariel Calonne said in a staff report.
The city approved to spend up to $250,000.
High Sierra Grill & Bar, located next to the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, closed its doors Sept. 1. The restaurant then sued the city in December because the restaurant company tried to assign its lease to Flightline, which is owned by Warren Butler.
Mr. Butler attempted to revive the restaurant with an aviation theme, but the lease transfer was unsuccessful.
