Court Supports Developer's Right To Keep Hikers Off His Land

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Activists vow to keep fighting after a court sided with a developer who has tried for years to keep hikers from using a trail that cuts across scenic property he owns in Los Angeles.

The  Times reports Sunday (http://lat.ms/2aGTmNR) that an appellate court last week ruled that Mohamed Hadid has the right to restrict access to the land in Franklin Canyon near Beverly Hills. Hadid, who has built more than a dozen Ritz-Carlton hotels around the globe, hopes to develop the property.

He has been embroiled in a legal battle with activists fighting to keep the trail open to the public.

Hadid's lawyers successfully appealed a lower court's ruling, arguing that just because people have been allowed to walk on the land for decades doesn't mean they should have a right to it.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/