29-05-2025
Judge rules in favor of Lee's Summit in case against county over 2023 assessments
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A judge ruled in favor of the City of Lee's Summit in its lawsuit against Jackson County over the 2023 assessments and ordered the city to recover more than $250,000 in damages.
Judge Derek Spencer, who was brought in from Cass County, specifically sided with the city on two counts: breach of contract and breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing.
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The judgment comes nearly two months after a bench trial was held in Jackson County Circuit Court. The lawsuit was first filed in 2023.
The court's order, filed Wednesday, stated that the county broke contract by 'failing to provide necessary records of the tax rolls to the city.' It said that this ultimately prevented the city from collecting taxes and 'thereby prevented the city from receiving the benefit of the bargain': 1% of all taxes collected by the city pursuant to the contract the county and city have had since 2007.
It said it breached this contract on April 2, 2024, by excluding the city from the county's ASCEND system and the tax collection process.
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The judgment awards damages to Lee's Summit for $259,137.08, and said the city is entitled to pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
On all other counts, the judge ruled in favor of the county, but added:
'Mandamus and declaratory judgment relief are not appropriate relief as many of the issues related to the 2023 assessments relate to the discretion exercised by Ms. McCann Beatty and Mr. Frank White Jr., and certain rights the City request the Court enforce are not clear rights expressed in statutes enacted by the Legislature.'
This is a developing story; FOX4 will provide updates as they're madea available.
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