CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – City Council members will discuss a possible settlement in the long-standing legal battle with the owners of Blackhorse Pub & Brewery at the executive session on Thursday.
Council members as well as Mayor Joe Pitts attended a court-mandated mediation session between Robinson and the city’s legal team on March 17, though they were unable to take an active role in the discussion due to limitations set by the Open Meetings Act.
Blackhorse owners Jeff and Sherri Robinson and the city have disagreed on whether in 2002 the city, then under Mayor Johnny Piper, promised to build an alley behind the business, and, if it did, whether later city administrations were obligated to keep that promise. Other related disputes have come up along the way.
Pitts declared a “major legal victory” for the city in September 2020 following a ruling over legal fees in Robinson’s state lawsuit. Robinson and his Franklin Street Corp. have since filed an appeal of that decision as well as a federal lawsuit.
Mediation discussions
Jeff Robinson and his counsel Mark Olson presented a settlement offer in their federal lawsuit under which Robinson would give the city a piece of property adjacent to the RiverWalk’s Upland Trail, as well as an easement in the alley behind the Blackhorse that is needed for an engineering project previously discussed between Robinson and Gas & Water Director Mark Riggins.
In exchange, Robinson is asking that the city reimburse him up to $250,000 for the construction of the alley, the completion of Gas & Water’s engineering project, and a retaining wall for the brewery that Robinson hopes to build at the site.
According to the settlement offer provided by Olson, his client asked for up to $350,000, which was the only point of disagreement they had with the city.
In an email to Clarksville Now, Robinson called the March 17 mediation a “waste of time.”
Special session called
The council gathered Tuesday for a special session to discuss last week’s proceedings, and several council members weighed in on what they felt would be a reasonable settlement offer.
At the meeting, Riggins elaborated on the engineering project he had discussed with Robinson, which involves a sewer pipe running underneath the lot.
Riggins said his department required an easement on either side of the pipe for future maintenance. He also expressed interest in adding a storm collection drain at the back of the lot. Both projects would require an easement provided by Robinson.
Most council members agreed that the city should take an “all or nothing” approach and try to settle all the lawsuits in one deal.
Ward 12 council member Trisha Butler asked City Attorney Lance Baker on Tuesday to create a settlement agreement that could be discussed at Thursday’s executive session.
The settlement is expected to be based on a previous agreement voted on by the City Council in summer 2020, known as the Murphy Documents, with some elements removed and the proposed engineering project agreement added.
Council members will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday for an executive session. The meeting can be viewed live on the City of Clarksville Government Facebook Page.