Walking a Fine Line (or, The Market Building Vendors Versus the City of Roanoke)

It's been building up to this for a few weeks and now it's finally out in the open...

The Market Building vendors have a lawyer and they're not afraid to use him.

Nine out of the ten vendors have banded together to sue the city for negligence in their capacity as land lord of the Market Building. As stated on the Roanoke Times site, they are seeking damages for lost income during the two week closure of the building, as well as determining what level of responsibility they will have regarding the repairs made.

It would seem the proverbial gauntlet has been thrown.

Now, I'm not going to try to contemplate their chances of success with the lawsuit. I would hazard a guess that it is quite likely they will win some compensation.

However, they are now placing themselves in a rather precarious situation. The relations between the vendors and the city officials is already strained, at best, given the recent closure and the discussion to potentially close the building early next year. This may very well be the fire that incinerates every bridge between the two parties.

Anita Wilson's statement concerning this being an act to begin negotiation, not litigation is diplomatic enough. Still, the City won't see it that way. Certainly, Harris and Lea might be of a mind to negotiate a settlement, given their staunch support of the building and its current vendors. However, most of the council members will probably take note of any funds spent during the course of this process, either through a negotiated or awarded settlement... or through the simple costs, both in time and money, researching and fighting the lawsuit. And they aren't going to be overly ecstatic with the vendors for being forced into a series of expenditures.

In respects, even with a win, it could work out poorly for the vendors, most of whom have leases expiring within the next four to six months (Hong Kong's renewal is the next to be discussed at next week's council meeting). This action by the vendors may make it less likely that any leases will be renewed... and with the recent events, the City could use any legitimate reason to deny the renewals (including plans to clear the building for renovations).

I wish the vendors the best in this endeavor and I hope it won't have any negative impact on their futures. However, these are choppy waters they've just entered and they'll need to tread the currents carefully to come out intact.