SilverWing judgment favors county

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

A longstanding legal dispute between Bonner County and SilverWing recently landed a judgment in the county’s favor.

An abstract of judgment dated April 28 awarded Bonner County $741,730.06 plus future interest. The judgment also puts a lien of SilverWings property until the terms of the judgment are satisfied. The judgment will cover the cost of the county’s attorney fees. SilverWing-WEB

The legal dispute goes back to 2008, when the Federal Aviation Administration declared the Sandpoint Airport was out of compliance because of a through-the-fence agreement with SilverWing, a housing development that served as both a residence and an airplane hangar. SilverWing sued the county, claiming developers had been deceived about a a runway relocation and that the county was trying to kill its through-the-fence agreement. All but one of SilverWing’s claims have since been dismissed.

For Bonner County Commissioner Todd Sudick, the judgment is a vindication of the county. He also said that, in an election year when lawsuits against the county are a hot-button election topic, that this is a case of litigation protecting the taxpayers. The county could have been hit with a $26 million payout had it not fought its case in court, Sudick said.

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