A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the city of Jackson for moving offices out of Metrocenter Mall prior to the expiration of its leasing contract.
Retro Metro, LLC, which owned the office space multiple city offices were utilizing, pursued litigation against Jackson after the city council voted to end its lease early due to “unsafe” conditions at the facility. According to officials, city workers were exposed to raw sewage, water leaks indoors, and daunting potholes in the parking lot.
The city had signed a 20-year lease with Retro Metro in 2011, but ultimately broke the contract eight years before it was set to expire. After leaving Metrocenter, the various city offices relocated to the old Mississippi Department of Corrections building on North State Street.
Leroy Walker, Socrates Garrett, and Howard Catching, the owners of Retro Metro, soon filed a lawsuit against the city for breaching its contract, hoping to recoup the funds the company would be missing out on. That suit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee back in August.
However, Retro Metro filed a separate suit against the city, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and multiple city council members, accusing officials of discrimination. The complaint alleged that the city gave preferential treatment to white-owned companies and slighted Black-owned Retro Metro.
Lee dismissed that suit on Wednesday, acknowledging that the city was not acting in a discriminative manner when officials decided to vacate Metrocenter Mall.
“Today, that same court dismissed the remaining claims brought by Retro Metro, which alleged the city had discriminated against Retro Metro because its owners are African-American, and because the city leased new space with majority-white companies. Retro Metro had sought damages exceeding $4.5 million,” a statement from the Jackson mayor’s office reads.
“We are pleased that the court recognized that the city’s motivation in moving out of the Metrocenter was to protect its employees and the public from the poor condition of the building and not because of race, and we will continue to fight for the city and our citizens.”
Jackson leaders maintain that the sole reason the offices were moved to another building was because of “deplorable” conditions at Metrocenter Mall.