Attorneys for Santa Barbara City Hall exercised their peremptory challenge rights to bump Judge Colleen Sterne off the city’s case against John Thyne III, a high-profile attorney, real estate broker, and one of the owners of the Harbor Restaurant, one of the two mothership-sized dining operations located on Stearns Wharf.
City Attorney John Doimas declined to explain Sterne’s removal, stating, “That decision involves confidential litigation strategy and should not be interpreted as a personal or professional reflection of any kind.” He added, “The most important thing about this case is that the Harbor Restaurant is nearly a year behind on its rent and went several consecutive months without paying the City.”
With Thyne and his partners $650,000 behind in rent, City Hall filed a notice against them to pay or quit. It’s only a matter of time before an unlawful detainer is filed…