Google Founders Silence Designer Of ‘Party Plane'

By JOSH GERSTEIN, Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 9, 2006

The founders of Google have prevailed in their campaign to silence an Oklahoma man hired to prepare lavish designs for a Boeing 767 the Internet mavens purchased, reportedly for use as a "party airplane."

The disgruntled designer, Leslie Jennings, and a firm controlled by the search engine's creators, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as well as the site's CEO, Eric Schmidt, have settled a legal dispute that led to publication of the details of the executives' demands for airborne hammocks, sofas, and a "California King" bed.

"The case was settled to the satisfaction of both parties," Mr. Jennings told the New York Sun in an e-mail yesterday. He indicated he was not at liberty to elaborate.

Mr. Jennings contended that he was wrongly removed from the project after attempting to notify the Google honchos that they were being overcharged for some materials. He placed a $200,000 lien on the aircraft and each side filed a lawsuit against the other.

In an e-mail last month, Mr. Jennings vowed, "I will not sit quietly by and not get to tell my story."

The former Qantas plane is estimated to have cost the executives as much $15 million. Mr. Jennings said the refurbishment was to cost $10 million or more.

Last month, a judge in California ordered Mr. Jennings to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating a court order that prohibited him from publicly discussing the design project. A hearing on the contempt order took place Monday in San Jose, Calif., and culminated in the settlement.

Attorneys for Mr. Jennings and the Google executives' firm, Blue City Holdings, did not respond to calls seeking comment for this article.