At & T CORP. v. Lucas County

381 F. Supp. 2d 714, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16709, 2005 WL 1941330
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedAugust 15, 2005
Docket3:02 CV 7516
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 381 F. Supp. 2d 714 (At & T CORP. v. Lucas County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
At & T CORP. v. Lucas County, 381 F. Supp. 2d 714, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16709, 2005 WL 1941330 (N.D. Ohio 2005).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

KATZ, District Judge.

This case involves the forced relocation of a telecommunication cable so that the City of Toledo could build a baseball stadium over a portion of Superior Street. Plaintiff AT & T Corp. brings claims for breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and uncompensated takings-brought directly and via 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Pending are cross-motions for summary judgment (Doc. Nos. 44 and 45 respectively). Defendant has filed a Response (Doc. No. 49) and a Reply (Doc. No. 53), and Plaintiff has filed a combined Response and Reply (Doc. No. 52). Defendant’s motion is granted; Plaintiffs motion is denied.

Background

In the Fall of 1999, AT & T sought permission from the City to install an underground fiber optic telecommunication cable under North Erie Street. The City denied the request and instead approved a route for the cable under Superior Street. On December 6, 1999, AT & T submitted a Letter of Intent to “perform and conduct construction” under Superior Street and submitted a $100 payment per Section 717.04(a) of the Toledo Municipal Code for a “Permit to Install a Telecommunications System” and a $3,885 payment for an “Application for Utility Work in the Public Right of Way.” The City granted the permit and approved the application.

In February of 2000, AT & T installed the cable under Superior Street. On June 9, 2000, however, Lucas County’s engineering consultants sent AT & T a letter notifying AT & T that the County intended to purchase several properties in downtown Toledo in order to build a baseball stadium, and that all underground utilities in the area, including the newly laid cables under Superior Street, would have to be removed.

AT & T submitted a cost estimate to the County and demanded reimbursement for the relocation of the cables. On September 15, 2000, Toledo Mayor Carleton Fink-beiner informed the County that the City would not pay for the relocation. The City subsequently approved a new route for the displaced cables and AT & T relocated them. In May 2002, AT & T again demanded reimbursement from the County. The County denied the request.

Summary Judgment Standard

Summary judgment is appropriate where “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ P. 56(c). The moving party bears the initial responsibility of “informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of ‘the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any,’ which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The movant may meet this burden by demonstrating the absence of evidence supporting one or more essential elements of the non-mov-ant’s claim. Id. at 323-25, 106 S.Ct. 2548. Once the movant meets this burden, the opposing party “must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue *716 for trial.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e)).

Once the burden of production has so shifted, the party opposing summary judgment cannot rest on its pleadings or merely reassert its previous allegations. It is not sufficient “simply [to] show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). Rather, Rule 56(e) “requires the nonmoving party to go beyond the pleadings” and present some type of evidentiary material in support of its position. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548; see also Harris v. General Motors Corp., 201 F.3d 800, 802 (6th Cir.2000). Summary judgment must be entered “against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

“In considering a motion for summary judgment, the Court must view the facts and draw all reasonable inferences therefrom in a light most favorable to the non-moving party.” Williams v. Belknap, 154 F.Supp.2d 1069, 1071 (E.D.Mich.2001) (citing 60 Ivy Street Corp. v. Alexander, 822 F.2d 1432, 1435 (6th Cir.1987)). However, “ ‘at the summary judgment stage the judge’s function is not himself to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter,’ ” Wiley v. U.S., 20 F.3d 222, 227 (6th Cir.1994) (quoting Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505); therefore, “the Court is not required or permitted ... to judge the evidence or make findings of fact.” Williams, 154 F.Supp.2d at 1071. The purpose of summary judgment “is not to resolve factual issues, but to determine if there are genuine issues of fact to be tried.” Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc. v. Am. Eagle Outfitters, Inc., 130 F.Supp.2d 928, 930 (S.D.Ohio 1999). Ultimately, this Court must determine “whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505; see also Atchley v. RK Co., 224 F.3d 537, 539 (6th Cir.2000).

Discussion

Constitutional Claims

Plaintiff claims the forced removal of these lines constitutes an improper taking without compensation in violation of the Ohio Constitution and the United States Constitution. Plaintiffs right, however, to maintain the cables under Superi- or Street was not absolute. Section 221 of the Toledo Charter provides:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Mentor v. Cleveland Elec. Illum. Co.
2024 Ohio 399 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2024)
City of Perrysburg v. Toledo Edison Co.
870 N.E.2d 189 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
381 F. Supp. 2d 714, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16709, 2005 WL 1941330, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/at-t-corp-v-lucas-county-ohnd-2005.