Settlement Documents Filed in Crown Castle v. Riverhead

Crown Castle and the town of Riverhead, New York, filed settlement documents Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for Eastern New York that would end their long-running infrastructure battle over a proposed communications facility in the village of Calverton (see 2210070046). Crown Castle sued Riverhead in February 2021 when it was “unable to secure the long-term viability” of leases on property where it operated existing towers, necessitating the applications to install a new facility. The company accused the municipality of violating the Telecommunications Act by “unreasonably delaying and effectively denying” its permit applications “without substantial evidence contained in the written record.” The settlement terms include an agreement for a Crown Castle subsidiary, Global Signal Acquisitions IV, to buy the property it currently leases from the existing owner, Lizem Associates. All parties agree that consummating the sale of the property by Jan 31 is a “material condition” of the consent order that would terminate the litigation. Should the property sale not be completed by Jan. 31 if not extended by mutual agreement, the consent order “shall be deemed null and void,” and any plaintiff “may reinstate the litigation,” said the settlement documents.