OC requests lawsuit dismissal

An attorney for Oconee County today alleged the plaintiff in a civil lawsuit over an accident at the county airport failed to follow proper procedures in serving notice of the suit. Attorney Dan Atkinson said the process server for a North Carolina pilot failed to serve notice to the proper county officials within a prescribed time limit. But the attorney for plaintiff Randolph James claimed Elizabeth Hulse, clerk to Oconee County Council, actually received the papers, though they were provided to her by Glenn Breed, the assistant county administrator, though Breed is not authorized to accept service of a lawsuit against the county. Judge Lawton McIntosh listened, asked questions, but said he would take the arguments under advisement, which means he’ll make a decision later. James wants the county to compensate him for damages sustained when deer ran onto runway 7 at Oconee Regional Airport and struck his plane as he was beginning take-off. The deer were killed and James lists damage to his Piper Mirage at $300 thousand.