Efforts to settle the lawsuit against disgraced real estate mogul Michael Lyon have fallen through, and the case was set for trial today in Sacramento Superior Court.
The case involves eight former family friends and employees who sued Lyon claiming invasion of privacy stemming from allegations that he his a web of secret video cameras in the bathrooms and other areas of his homes.
Sacramento attorney Robert Zimmerman, who is representing the eight unnamed plaintiffs, said he expects jury selection in the civil case to take some time, and that the actual court case likely will last 10 days.
Lyon, the former head of Lyon Real Estate and a leading figure in Sacramento, fell from grace two years ago after being accused of secretly videotaping friends and workers as his interactions with prostitutes.
He eventually pleaded guilty to four felony counts and served a month in the county jail. He also was sentenced to five years' probation.
Lyon, a 56-year-old former Boy Scout leader, has been fighting the civil suit since before he pleaded guilty and, despite efforts to settle the case, attorneys indicated today they were prepared to move to trial.
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