July 10--Actor Tom Selleck has reached a tentative settlement with the water district in Ventura County that accused him of illegally transporting water across its district boundaries.
Attorneys representing Selleck and the Calleguas Municipal Water District reached the agreement Thursday, Calleguas resources manager Eric Bergh said. The settlement will now go before the water district board for approval at a meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, he said.
The terms of the tentative settlement are confidential until final, Bergh said.
"We're happy about it. It's good news," Bergh said.
On Monday, Calleguas filed a complaint against the "Magnum P.I." and "Blue Bloods" actor and his wife, Jillie, accusing them of having water from a fire hydrant in Thousand Oaks delivered to their 60-acre ranch in Hidden Valley.
Their Hidden Valley estate is located outside the boundaries of Calleguas' service area, so delivery of potable water to Selleck's home violates district law, the complaint said.
As California's historic drought worsened, water from a public hydrant was delivered to Selleck's sprawling Hidden Valley ranch, according to court documents filed against the veteran actor.
On multiple occasions between 2013 and 2015, a white truck filled up at a Thousand Oaks hydrant and hauled water to Selleck's 60-acre property, according to the complaint. To document its case, the water district spent nearly $22,000 to hire the real private investigator.
Calleguas says the "Blue Bloods" star and his wife, Jillie, who is also named in the complaint, are barred from using water from the hydrant because their property is located in a different water district, Hidden Valley Municipal Water District.
Representatives for Selleck have not responded to several requests for comment. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department reviewed the allegations and was unable to establish that a crime had occurred, according to a department spokesman.
Updates
6:02 p.m.: Updated with background on the case.
