Landslide Trial Kicks Off; 10 Died, Homes Destroyed

The trial for a January 2005 California landslide that killed 10 people kicked off Monday in Ventura County Superior Court. A number of La Conchita residents, along with relatives of those injured or killed, sued the county and the La Conchita Ranch Co.

One lawyer began the trial on Monday by arguing that an orchard on a bluff located above the homes triggered the landslide. A defense attorney for the orchard owner, however, claimed the area already had a history of deadly landslides dating back more than 100 years ago.

Those behind the lawsuit claim the county and company could have prevented the landslide that not only killed and injured people, but destroyed 13 homes and damaged nearly two dozen more.

The lawsuit claims that the ranch saturated its orchards and did not construct an adequate drainage system, therefore leading to the slide.

Earlier this year, a judge ruled Ventura County could be sued only for property damages and was not liable for the deaths in 2005.

When a 1995 slide destroyed or damaged seven homes, Ventura County declared La Conchita a "geological hazard area," issuing warning signs for the area.

A 1995 homeowner lawsuit against the orchard for that particular slide settled that case out of court.