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• Lodi's former environmental attorney sues city for $7 million

• County Planning Commission approves large new winery north of Lodi

• Rides, drinks, food and games at Lodi festival: It's all good

• Grape Festival guru: A day in the life of Mark Armstrong

• Lodi Unified looks at Measure K bond -- and beyond

• Regional Roundup

• Lodians continue efforts to raise funds to help victims of hurricane

• Churches unite for community projects

• Fire chiefs warn against dispatch changes for ambulance companies

• Reclamation Board is likely to ask that cities check development plans for flood safety

• Logbook

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Public health care is a Christian option (75)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (52)
• The haves should help the have-nots (31)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (25)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (18)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (17)

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Lodi's former environmental attorney sues city for $7 million

Twenty months after the Lodi City Council fired him, environmental attorney Michael C. Donovan has sued the city for millions of dollars in legal fees.

Donovan, who for years led the city's fight against local businesses and insurers in an attempt to clean up polluted groundwater, wants almost $7 million in fees. That doesn't include 12 percent annual interest, damages and the cost of Donovan's attorney.

The suit, filed this week in San Francisco County, is Donovan's response to a fraud lawsuit the city filed against him in January. In that lawsuit, Lodi accused him of creating a "legal quagmire" to make at least $12 million in profits.

Until January 2004, Donovan had represented the city for years in its groundwater contamination case. More than 100 parties were ultimately involved, including the News-Sentinel. Other parties ranged from Guild Cleaners and the Odd Fellows Hall Association to various insurance companies.

The goal, city officials and attorneys said when they began the legal fight years ago, was to force insurance companies to clean up potentially carcinogenic chemicals that had been dumped in the sewers, which then leaked. Along the way, the city borrowed some $16 million from Wall Street firm Lehman Brothers in order to continue paying for the litigation.

The issue led to a federal lawsuit and at first the city declared small successes. Then came a series of court rulings against Lodi -- including one that struck down a city ordinance used in the legal fight.

So the City Council fired Donovan and City Attorney Randy Hays, hired new attorneys and began pushing for settlement. The city has since settled with a number of parties, including the News-Sentinel and Guild Cleaners. All money from the businesses has been designated for cleanup and associated costs.

But, Donovan's attorney, Kevin L. Cifarelli, wrote in the lawsuit, any money the city received was to first go toward paying Donovan's legal fees, as laid out in his contracts.

Donovan began working for Lodi in November 1996 with the law firm of Zevnik, Horton, Guibord and McGovern. Under a contract with the city, the firm would be paid up to $65,000 a month, with any extra bills to not be paid unless the city succeeded in getting money from the various businesses and insurance companies.

Two years later, Donovan left the law firm and formed Envision Law Group, taking Lodi's case and the outstanding bills with him.

The monthly fees remained the same for a time, though Donovan would be paid 12 percent interest on any extra billings, plus a 20 percent "success fee" of all money the city got from parties involved in the case.

After the city borrowed money from Lehman Brothers to fund the legal battle, Donovan and his co-workers instead began billing hourly.

Before the case could go to federal trial, the city fired Donovan on Jan. 13, 2004. He then filed a claim with the city, seeking an unspecified amount of wages. The City Council denied the claim May 6, 2004.

In California, a claim is a precursor to a lawsuit, and the claimant has six months to file a lawsuit once a claim is denied.

"Obviously, the city will be filing a motion to dismiss (Donovan's) complaint based on his failure to follow the statute of limitations," City Attorney Stephen Schwabauer said Thursday.

But Cifarelli wrote in the lawsuit that city officials, in denying the claim, asked Donovan to instead wait because they were still auditing legal invoices and trying to resolve issues with their own insurers.

Donovan could not be reached for comment Thursday, and Cifarelli did not return a message. The case is scheduled for a status conference Nov. 4 in San Francisco.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.