Wilmington preparing to pay more than $2M to settle civil lawsuit
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The City of Wilmington is preparing to pay out more than $2 million to settle a civil lawsuit.
Peter Koke alleged the city was unlawfully blocking his property on South Front Street. Koke filed a lawsuit and the city removed the signs.
The city then came to an agreement in October 2022 to pay Koke $2,100,000 for his three properties on South Front Street and legal fees.
Koke’s attorney, Grady Richardson, says city council never fulfilled the agreement so he filed and won a motion asking a judge to order the city to comply.
Tuesday night, council voted to approve the ordinance to fulfill the settlement but it failed to waive second reading. This means council will have to discuss it again at its next meeting.
Richardson is not happy with the vote, saying he believes the city violated a court order and the settlement is in the best interest of Koke and the city.
“You’re taking someone that the city, for whatever reason, has demonstrated the two parties don’t get along and I’ve tried to remove Mr. Koke from that equation from these three properties and now the city will be the owner of those properties, and will hopefully be a good steward of the properties,” Richardson said.
A city spokesman shared a statement that reads, “It is important to note that, as part of this settlement agreement, the city will take ownership of the properties in question (1536 N. Front, 222 and 226 South Front). The city has been involved in litigation with Mr. Koke for many years. The city has cited several of his business properties for various code violations. This settlement agreement will end all pending litigation by conveying those properties to the city in exchange for the agreed upon amount. Mr. Koke will still be responsible for satisfying any other liens and deeds of trust. The current amount of outstanding fines and liens will be tallied prior to closing on the properties.”
Council’s next meeting is set for March 7 at 6:30 pm.
