MURRIETA - There may not be multiple "Murrietans for Smart Growth," as the nonprofit's name would suggest, but the attorney representing the group recently produced one, in response to a court order.

The group sued the city earlier this year, alleging Murrieta violated state environmental laws in approving a shopping center on Winchester Road near Thompson Road. It is being developed by Regency Centers of Los Angeles, and is to be anchored by a SuperTarget.

But the only person who had ever appeared at hearings in connection with the case was the attorney who filed the suit - Cory Briggs.

Earlier this summer, after Regency's attorney suggested Briggs was the only member of the group, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Cunnison ordered Briggs to produce an actual member of the organization before allowing the lawsuit to proceed.

The first "Murrietan" to step forward was Richard Lawrence - who lives in San Diego and has no business affiliation to Murrieta, let alone Riverside County, according to court documents. In a deposition, Lawrence said he was the group's president.

Hubbard, however, continued to press Briggs to bring forward an actual Murrieta resident, according to court documents. And a few weeks later, on Sept. 4, Briggs produced a woman named Felicia Munoz-Graham, who lives on the city's west side and works at the Ralphs supermarket on Washington

Avenue.

According to her deposition, Munoz-Graham was one of the founders of the group - but she said she had never heard of Lawrence.

The lack of familiarity between the two members further clouded the group's legitimacy in the eyes of Murrieta leaders.

"These kind of events seem to confirm that this is, at best, suspicious," said Murrieta Mayor Doug

McAllister of the nonprofit group's legitimacy.

In his declaration to the court, Lawrence wrote that he is president of Murrietans for Smart Growth, which incorporated in January - one day before Briggs filed suit over the city's December 2006 approval of the regional marketplace.

Lawrence is president of the San Diego-based Citizens for Responsible Equitable Environmental Development. Briggs, who has offices in San Diego and Upland, has represented CREED in a number of legal matters over the last several years - including challenges to proposed "big box" store developments.

CREED's mailing address is Briggs' law office, according to a transcript of Lawrence's Aug. 14 deposition.

Lawrence also wrote that he knew of at least one Murrieta member of the group, and that "CREED considers itself a member of Murrietans for Smart Growth since October 2006." But in the August deposition, Briggs clarified that CREED officials are not members of Murrietans for Smart Growth - but the organization itself is.

In the deposition, Lawrence said he did not know the name or address of the Murrieta member of the nonprofit he referred to in his deposition, nor did he know - or ever visit - the location of the project site.

When asked by Hubbard if he knew of any member of Murrietans for Smart Growth who lives, works or leases property in the city, Lawrence said no. He also said he doesn't know "the details of MSG's organization" nor the identities of its board members.

He later added: "My knowledge about this project really depends on the information I get from the lawyer."

Briggs, who did not return a phone call seeking comment, told Regency's and the city's lawyers the Murrietan belonging to the group referenced by Lawrence in the declaration is Munoz-Graham.

She lives west of Washington Avenue in northwest Murrieta - 10 miles from the project site, on the other side of the city.

In her Sept. 4 deposition, Munoz-Graham testified that she had never met nor heard of Lawrence - nor had she met any other members of Murrietans for Smart Growth. Munoz-Graham later said she was aware of other organization members "through my attorney," referring to Briggs.

She said in the deposition that she helped form the group because of "my concern about the environment, air pollution, open space, traffic."

Munoz-Graham, who works in the bakery department of the Ralphs on Washington, declined earlier this week to be interviewed.

Contact staff writer Brian Eckhouse at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or beckhouse@californian.com.