The court's decision is related to two local court casesinvolving Fred Meyer and Lloyd Center Mall. In 1989, a Portlandwoman sued Fred Meyer after she was arrested for trespassing whilesignature gathering in front of one of its area stores in 1989. Shewas eventually awarded $2 million in punitive damages in a decisionthat was appealed and then upheld two years ago by the state Courtof Appeals.

Fred Meyer appealed again, this time to the Supreme Court. Thecourt, in reviewing the case, also decided to review a 1993decision against Lloyd Center Mall that gave petitioners access tocertain common areas of larger shopping centers.

In an opinion for the court, Justice Michael Gillette saidnothing in the century-old adopting papers of the voter-approvedinitiative system shows that voters "intended to require privateproperty owners to permit petitioning activity on theirpremises."