UPDATE: More Digital Billboards to be Shut Off

UPDATE Wednesday, April 17, 2013 | 12:55 p.m. PDT
Superior Court Judge Terry Green ordered an additional 19 digital billboards turned off by 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the City Attorney's office.

Judge Green's orders, which began with Monday's announcement that 77 digital billboards must be turned off, still permit Clear Channel and CBS to operate billboards as non-digital signs.

ORIGINAL STORY Tuesday, April 16, 2013 | 1:39 p.m. PDT

A Superior Court judge announced Monday that he would order 77 digital billboards across the city of Los Angeles to be turned off by the end of the day.

Digital billboards' statuses have been questioned since 2009 when Superior Court Judge Terry Green found that permits issued as a settlement between two billboard companies and the city were distributed illegally.

CBS and Clear Channel Outdoor will appeal the ruling, and have not turned off their digitial billboards in light of the Superior Court's request.

Last month one of the companies threatened to sue if their permit was revoked.

Green is expected to determine whether or not 20 more digital billboards are to be shut off Tuesday.

"The courts have spoken and the time has come for CBS and Clear Channel Outdoor to turn off their digital signs in keeping with the law," City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said.

Clear Channel Outdoor's Vice President of Marking and Communication, David Grabert, said the company will follow the court's request to turn off the signs, but "will take all legal steps to renew operation of our signs in order to serve our customers and the community."

Grabert said he believes that turning off digital billboards in Los Angeles will hurt the community and the economy.

Digitial billboards are recognized as valuable advertising tools for local and national businesses.