Madras settles airport eviction

Published 5:00 am Friday, August 16, 2013

A man who was threatened with eviction from a rented property at the Madras Airport has reached a settlement with the city, though the terms of the settlement are unclear.

Paul Jensen operated a crop-dusting business out of a leased property at the airport for nearly 30 years until 2006, when the city attempted to evict him. Jensen protested, noting the lease agreement he had signed in 1978 giving him the right to renew his $75 a month lease on the 1 1/2-acre property indefinitely.

A Jefferson County Circuit Court jury ruled the attempted eviction of Jensen was a breach of the lease agreement, and the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld the ruling.

In 2010, Jensen filed a $1 million civil suit against the city, alleging the move wrecked his business and destroyed his credit.

Reached Wednesday, Jensen said he and the city had reached a settlement in the civil suit. However, he said, because of a confidentiality agreement, he didn’t feel comfortable talking about the terms of the settlement.

“I just got to be so damned careful so I don’t cut my own throat,” he said.

Madras City Administrator Gus Burril and attorney John Burge, who represented the city in the matter, did not return calls requesting comment as to the specifics of the settlement.

At a Madras City Council meeting Aug. 7, where councilors approved the settlement with Jensen, councilors also voted to transfer $175,000 out of two internal funds “to settle a litigation matter.”

The city and Jensen have also agreed to a continuation of the $75 a month lease through the end of 2014.

Although Jensen has not operated a crop-dusting business since 2005, he said another crop-dusting company has been operating out of the space in recent years, and he expects he’ll need much of the next year and a half to clear out the belongings that have accumulated in the space over more than 30 years.

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