Ohio Judge Stays Deadlines as Settlement Nears in Cell Tower Suit

The parties in a Columbus, Ohio, cellsite dispute are close to reaching a settlement, said an order (docket 2:23-cv-00764) Tuesday from U.S. District Judge James Graham for Southern Ohio in Columbus staying all deadlines in the case. The stay includes defendant Thomas Branham’s deadline to respond to plaintiffs STC Two and Global Signal’s pending motion to dismiss (see 2305180032). Branham, who owns the property where STC Two has a cell tower, installed a padlock at the entrance of the tower site, in breach of his lease to STC Two, and refused to remove it. Branham continued to obstruct the Global Signal company’s access to the cellsite “in blatant violation” of the lease, which entitles its employees to access “24 hours per day, 7 days per week,” the complaint said. Branham said STC Two's tower, enclosed by metal fencing, wasn’t placed within the boundaries of the easement Branham granted, so STC Two employees and customers had to cut across Branham’s land to gain access.