Judge tells both sides in data center lawsuit to communicate better
A St. Louis County Circuit Court judge denied a motion for a default judgment in a lawsuit filed by community group Wake Up Jeffco against the City of Festus and developer CRG. The lawsuit seeks to halt a proposed data center project in Festus, alleging unlawful rezoning, open records violations, and improper public meeting procedures. The judge instructed attorneys for both sides to improve communication.
St. Louis County Circuit Judge Ellen W. Dunne denied a motion for a default judgment in a lawsuit concerning a proposed data center in Festus, Missouri. The lawsuit was filed by Wake Up Jeffco LLC, along with several property owners including Sherman Doyle, Vernon Valish, Sharon Valish, and Rozilyn Daniels, against the City of Festus and developer CRG Acquisition LLC.
CRG, the data center development arm of St. Louis-based Clayco, is behind the proposed project. Opponents began protesting soon after the project was announced, leading to the lawsuit filed on April 8. The plaintiffs allege unlawful spot zoning, violations of state statutes and municipal codes regarding public meetings, and infringements of the Missouri Open Records Law by the City of Festus concerning the data center development.
During the motion hearing, both sides accused the other of "gaslighting" due to communication breakdowns after the case was remanded from federal court. Judge Dunne directed the attorneys, including Steve Jeffery for the plaintiffs and John Kingston for CRG and Blake Hill for Festus, to communicate more clearly moving forward. The next scheduled action in the case is a case management conference on September 18.