Finding that she had stopped participating in the case and ignored court orders, a judge today dismissed a lawsuit by Casey Kasem’s widow alleging that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had overcharged her for sewer service since 1989.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon found that Jean Kasem had not abided by his directives to exchange information with the city and sit for a deposition with lawyers from the City Attorney’s Office.
Deputy City Attorney Dirk Broersma said outside the courtroom that the dismissal was proper given that Kasem was not following orders of the court.
“It was the only outcome possible,” Broersman said.
Kasem was not present for today’s hearing. She had represented herself since her attorney, Steven Haney, was granted permission by Alarcon to withdraw from the case last August.
Kasem and her husband filed the lawsuit against the DWP in September 2013, when the former “Top 40” deejay was still alive. The suit stated that the couple had two water meters at their Holmby Hills home to measure both water regular water consumption and that used for irrigation.
The suit alleged the couple’s sewer service bill incorrectly calculated water used for irrigation as having been discharged into the sewer system.
Broersma said the Kasems alleged the overbilling occurred for 25 years, but provided no specific amount. The DWP denied any excessive charges occurred, Broersma said.
The City Attorney’s Office sought to depose Kasem in her role as a plaintiff in her lawsuit and in her secondary position as the executrix of the radio icon’s estate.
Casey Kasem was the subject of a bitter court battle between his widow and his children from his first marriage until his death last June 15 at age 82. His widow proceeded with the lawsuit against the DWP after his death.
