SMITHFIELD – Blue Line Aviation, a flight education and aviation company, announced today (Wednesday) the ongoing litigation battle between their company and the Johnston County Airport Authority has come to an end.
“The Johnston County Airport Authority and Blue Line Aviation, LLC are pleased to announce that they have agreed to a settlement of the lawsuit captioned Blue Line Aviation, LLC v. Johnston County Airport Authority, pending in Johnston County Superior Court, case number 19 CVS 4081, and have filed a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal of all claims and counterclaims in the lawsuit. The parties look forward to a mutually productive future relationship,” the two parties said in a prepared statement.
The settlement comes after efforts from Blue Line Aviation staff and Johnston County Airport representatives to find an agreement that would break the months-long deadlock that the litigation resulting from parking issues and flood damage had ushered in.
The dispute stemmed, in part, from an October 2018 Hangar Lease Agreement, where Blue Line agreed to a ground lease of certain property at the Johnston County Airport to construct a new hangar and operation, among other things, a flight training school.
Blue Line filed the lawsuit seeking a declaration the lease included an area of the apron containing 23 aircraft tie-down spaces in front of the Blue Line facility. As part of the settlement, Blue Line will pay $26,545 to the Authority for use of the 23 spaces from November 2021 to the date of the settlement. Going forward, Blue Line will rent the 23 spaces under a year-to-year term at an initial price of $100 per space per month, which is the Authority’s current published monthly price. The Authority agreed not to restrict or impair Blue Line’s rights to use a 50 foot portion of the apron area immediately in front of the Blue Line facility as allowed under FAA regulations.
Both parties agreed to bear their own costs related to attorney’s fees.
Blue Line Aviation is now working with airport management and elected officials to remedy any remaining issues and bring their partnership back to a prosperous level, the statement said.
Trey Walters, Founder and Managing Director of Blue Line Aviation said, “I think this is a wonderful outcome that benefits both Blue Line Aviation and Johnston County. We look forward to reestablishing our relationship with the airport and a mutually beneficial partnership.”
Click Here To Read The Settlement Agreement
I’m pleased to see a settlement at last. With that said, how much of this litigation (and attorney fees) could have been avoided had these attorneys constructed a valid and encompassing agreement at the outset? Did the original agreement address or overlook outside parking for Blue Line aircraft? The winner is … the attorneys! What a waste of time and taxpayer money.