Pat Smith Cleared In Landmark Divorce Case

November 29th, 2006 at 06:32am Michael Conniff 2

SNOWMASS, COLORADO (Post Time News)–The character of one man stands between the development of Base Village her and the abyss, and that man is Patrick Smith, the mastermind behind the massive development already underway in the Town of Snowmass Village.

Smith, the head of WestPac Investments, was cleared by a California jury this week on charges that he negligently transmitted a sexual disease to his wife. The jury in the civil suit in San Luis Obispo Superior Court decided by a vote of 10-2 that Pat Smith did not so infect his ex-wife Janet Smith.

Mrs. Smith accused the developer of being a philanderer and negligently infecting her with the sexually transmitted disease human papillomavirus (HPV ). The case is the first such legal wrangle to come to trial based on a ruling by the California Supreme Court.

“It’s a much more significant duty,” Loyola Law School Los Angeles professor John T. Nockleby told McClatchy Newspapers. “The California Supreme Court case, if it’s followed elsewhere, could have a significant effect upon the human sexual relationships of this country.”

The Snowmass Sun also provides coverage and an interview with Smith.

Also worth noting: Aspen Post blogger Michael Brylawksi has raised concerns about Smith’s record as a developer in the San Luis Obispo community.

Entry Filed under: Snowmass, Pitkin County, Base Village, Crime, Legal