Friends of Piedmont Park

I deeply regret that I have decided to drop out as a plaintiff in the above lawsuit. My goal in that lawsuit was to make the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Piedmont Park Conservancy, and the City of Atlanta change their behavior and comply with the law if they are to build a 6-story, 800-car parking deck in the interior of Piedmont Park. It is my sincere belief, based on what I have read and observed, that throughout the debate about the parking deck, those three defendants have ignored public opinion and the law, as spelled out in the lawsuit's Complaint.

However, I am 85 years old and have had some health problems over the last few years, including a heart attack in 1996. Because of my decision to be a plaintiff in this lawsuit, on February 21, 2007 the Atlanta Botanical Garden sent a letter threatening to sue me personally if I remained in the lawsuit. The Atlanta Botanical Garden says that my decision to sue them involves 'malice' on my part and that my claims are baseless, frivolous, and abusive.

Nothing is farther from the truth. I sincerely think that my decision to be a plaintiff and to file the lawsuit was the right thing to do and that the law supports my views. But the threats from the Atlanta Botanical Garden have caused me stress, worry, and aggravation. I am afraid that remaining in the lawsuit may cause my health to deteriorate. My doctor is of the same opinion and thinks it best that I no longer be a plaintiff.

Dropping out of the lawsuit is very discouraging for me. I have lived in Atlanta since approximately 1945 and next to Piedmont Park since the late 1940s. I love the Park and the community in which I live. I have worked for many, many years to protect and improve the Park and my community. I opposed the Atlanta Botanical Garden parking deck from the first time I heard about it and I have actively supported implementing better solutions than the parking deck. I deeply regret that giving priority to my health requires me to withdraw from the lawsuit because of threats by the Atlanta Botanical Garden which I truly believe are baseless. My only consolation is looking forward to seeing the remaining Plaintiffs prevail, as I am confident they will.

Please attach this letter to the documents you file to dismiss me from the lawsuit.

Thank you for your help and advice.

Sincerely,

William L. Lockhart