That year Deer Valley sued Cañon, which stated it was unable to pay for the tuition costs of the district and acknowledged that it was billed for the correct amount. The Arizona Republic described this as a "friendly lawsuit", since according to the DVUSD officials, Cañon district officials stated that the lawsuit was the only mechanism through which it could pay DVUSD.
In 1999, Deer Valley sued Cañon, claiming it couldn't afford the tuition fees for the district and admitted being billed correctly. The Arizona Republic referred to this as a "friendly lawsuit", as DVUSD officials stated that Cañon's only option was to file a lawsuit to pay DVUSD.