TULSA -- There could be an end to the lawsuit over putting commercial retailers in Helmerich park this week.
The defense and plaintiffs met in court to discuss a motion brought before the court by the defense. The motion brings into question if the plaintiffs even have jurisdiction to bring the matter before the court.
Tulsa City Councilors voted 5-4 on March 1 of this year to bring the retailer REI to the riverfront in Tulsa.
The lawsuit has been ongoing since 2015 between the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Public Trust Facilities Authority and several plaintiffs, including Craig Immel, Terry Young, Herb Beattie, Clayda Stead and Ray Pearcey.
The lawsuit centers around who the land belongs to if and if they have the right to sell it. The defense argued in court Monday that the land was transferred to the TPFA and the sale of the land to the developer does not involve the City of Tulsa.
Meanwhile, the plaintiff’s attorney Greg Bledsoe said in court they believe the case is pretty straight forward and simple.
Young issued a statement saying the purchase and sale of the land will be a misappropriation of sales tax revenue from the 1985 third penny vote and the prohibited sale of public parkland.
“We look forward to a favorable ruling by Judge Sellers and the opportunity to present our full case,” Young said.
The judge said he is interested in a speedy resolution for both sides and hopes to have an answer to the defense’s motion by Wednesday.
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