City of Charlotte faces lengthy legal process in $115M dispute with streetcar contractor

CHARLOTTE — A flurry of filings in N.C. Business Court in recent weeks appears to set the stage for a contractor’s $115 million lawsuit against the city of Charlotte for work on the CityLynx Gold Line to head to trial. Eventually.

A case management report filed Sept. 22 with the court says Johnson Bros. Corp. and the city of Charlotte have a tentative agreement on a trial date no earlier than March 2025, citing the need for extensive discovery beyond the business court’s standard seven months.

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The two sides have been locked in the legal battle since Grapevine, Texas-based Johnson Brothers filed its suit Feb. 20 in Mecklenburg Superior Court, claiming breach of contract, misrepresentation and other contract violations that cost it and subcontractors more than $100 million.

The expansion of the CityLynx Gold Line that opened two years ago faced numerous delays and additional costs during construction.

The most recent actions consist of a motion filed by the city on Aug. 31 to dismiss JBC’s suit, followed by JBC’s opposition filing last week rebutting the city’s assertions. The fight stems from a series of problems during construction of the 2.5-mile segment of the city’s streetcar that opened in August 2021. Those problems spurred public and private finger-pointing that has yet to slow down. The project extended the Gold Line to 4 miles by adding to the existing 1.5-mile portion opened in 2015.

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