Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Barton today heard brief statements from attorneys in the city of San Diego’s high-profile pension case. He set another hearing for April 12, with the understanding that an appeals court will have decided whether to consider City Attorney Mike Aguirre’s appeal to a previous ruling.
Executive Assistant City Attorney Don McGrath said the city had filed its formal appeal and asked Barton to postpone the case until the court’s decision. Attorneys for employee groups objected, saying they’d just received the city’s appeals documents and saying the city hadn’t filed a formal motion.
Barton said the appeals court generally decides whether to take a case within 30 to 60 days, and he instructed the parties to return after 75 days.
Last month, Barton ruled during the first phase of the trial that previous legal settlements and labor deals block Aguirre from attacking the lion’s share of the benefits he is challenging in his lawsuit.