On Feb. 7, Donald Melvin filed a lawsuit against California Partners LLC, James R. Norris, Eva Hollo, The Testate and Intestate Successors of George Benny and the City of Marysville. Courtesy Photo

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - On Feb. 7, Donald Melvin filed a lawsuit against California Partners LLC, James R. Norris, Eva Hollo, The Testate and Intestate Successors of George Benny and the City of Marysville.

This dispute appears to be regarding the historic state theater in Marysville, which has been closed since 1996.

Benny, now deceased, and Hollo had been doing business under California Partners LLC that currently owns the theater. Over the decades, various local news outlets have covered the company’s tumultuous relationship with the City of Marysville.

This past summer, Melvin identified himself as the theater’s owner during a live broadcast interview with CBS News. In 2017, an area newspaper identified Melvin as the theater’s property manager and he also appeared to serve as a liaison for Hollo and Benny during encounters with Marysville city legislators.

However, Melvin’s relation and motive to this case is unclear.

The case management conference is set for 1:30 p.m. June 16 at the Yuba County Superior Court with Stephen Berrier serving as judicial officer.