LA PUENTE – A medical marijuana facility has agreed to drop its lawsuit against the city in exchange for getting about $24,000 in outstanding citations waived, city officials announced this week.

Trinity Wellness Center – which filed its lawsuit in October – agreed to a settlement that includes: dropping all appeals filed against prior code enforcement citations; allowing La Puente to keep the $3,700 in fines it has already paid; and having $24,000 in code enforcement fines waived.

The lawsuit claimed the dispensary had the right to stay open in La Puente despite a ban on such facilities in the city.

Trinity Wellness Center is still on the hook for any unpaid business license taxes it owes to La Puente, the amount of which is unknown at this point, City Attorney James Casso said.

“The matter has been dismissed with prejudice so they can never bring these matters before a court of law again against the city of La Puente and they are closed permanently,” Casso said.

Attorneys for Trinity Wellness Center did not return calls for comment.

Mayor Dan Holloway, a longtime opponent of the establishment of marijuana dispensaries in the city, called the settlement a “reasonable resolution.”

“It saved the city a lot of money in legal fees, which was a big concern for us, and basically put the issue to bed permanently and so that’s good for the city,” Holloway said.

Trinity Wellness – which closed earlier this year at the behest of the U.S. Attorney’s Office – had faced an uphill battle in its attempts to continue operating in La Puente since it opened in 2009.

At its peak, the city had about 10 marijuana shops. In 2010, city officials approved an outright ban on the establishment and operation of such facilities. Many of the dispensaries filed extensions to stay open beyond the Feb. 2, 2011, closure deadline. All of the dispensaries, including Trinity, are now closed.

Trinity Wellness owners said they did not file for the extension because their business license gave them until Sept.30, 2011, to keep operating.

After city officials determined that date was erroneously generated, the City Council revoked the dispensary’s license and ordered it to shut down.

Trinity Wellness in October then filed the lawsuit, claiming that it had the lawful right to operate in the city.

juliette.funes@sgvn.com

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