Carson Hit with $80 Million Lawsuit Putting Outlet Mall Development at Risk

Two developers have filed an $80 million lawsuit against the City of Carson.

In the lawsuit, filed by Cam-Carson, a joint venture of Simon Property Group and Macerich, the developers accuse the City of “gross financial and project mismanagement”. The developers claim Carson has not fulfilled its pledge to utilize $27 million to clean up the site which was previously a toxic landfill.

At the May 5 council meeting, Mayor Al Robles stated that “the City is not in any way shape or form liable,” adding “there is no truth, in my opinion or validity to the lawsuit.”

The Mayor said he will add an agenda item the next regular City Council meeting to explain the lawsuit further.

The 46-acre Los Angeles Premium Outlets project, located just off the 405 Freeway at Avalon Boulevard, was initially proposed in 2018, broke ground in August of last year and was set to open in 2021.

This same site was once envisioned for an NFL stadium, and previous plans for retail and entertainment projects fell through. The center was expected to feature approximately 120 retail stores creating roughly 1,700 construction jobs and 1,800 permanent jobs. And was also estimated to produce about $4 million per year in local sales tax.