City of Franklin, citizens group reach $25K agreement in lawsuit over Strauss proposal

Editor's Note: Since initial publication of this story, the Journal Sentinel was able to obtain the dollar amount of the settlement. The article has been updated to include this information.

A 2½-year lawsuit against Franklin from a resident group related to the approval of a now-defunct Strauss Brands proposal for a new facility has been settled.

Online records indicate the “court finds parties have come to agreement and matter is resolved.” The court granted an order of dismissal on July 19.

The $25,000 settlement will be paid by the city to the plaintiffs, according to the final agreement, which includes the nonprofit resident group Franklin Community Advocates, the Woodlake Village Homeowners Association and 17 individuals, per online court records.

The settlement releases "the City of Franklin, its officials, employees, officers, insurers, and agents from any and all claims and causes of action" related to the lawsuits.

FCA filed two state cases against Franklin ― one in relation to the city approving a special use permit for a new Strauss Brands facility and the second regarding open records. FCA Executive Director Dave Sorensen confirmed this agreement ends both lawsuits.

“There’s no slaughterhouse going in there, there’s no special use permit for that land, so it seemed like a good point to be done with this," he said.

Strauss Brands intended to build a 152,035-square-foot meatpacking plant on a 30-acre parcel at the southwest corner of West Loomis Road and Monarch Drive in Franklin.

The project received backlash from a group of residents who eventually banded together as the nonprofit FCA and sued the City of Franklin in December 2020 for approving a special use permit for the project.

In February 2022, Strauss Brands announced that the company no longer intended to build the facility and instead would sell the land.

That sale happened in December 2022 to Cellco Partnership, an affiliate of Verizon Wireless, for $2.79 million, according to Wisconsin Department of Revenue records.

Franklin Mayor John Nelson, who was elected in April, informed residents about the settlement in a July 14 letter on the city's website outlining “some exciting news that reflects our city’s unwavering commitment to resolving contentious issues fairly and justly.”

“After engaging in thorough negotiations and displaying diligent efforts from all involved parties, we have successfully reached a resolution demonstrating respect for diverse perspectives while remaining committed to the principles of justice and equity,” Nelson said.

Sorensen said he worked with the new mayor to get "the absolute minimum figure it would take to pay off the attorneys" from the city in the agreement. When Strauss officials announced they were no longer building the facility, it became hard for FCA to raise funds.

“At that point, because it’s virtually impossible to raise money because people are like, ‘great, we don’t have to deal with a slaughterhouse,’ we ended up going into arrears with the attorney,” Sorensen said. “This allows us to settle it and be done.”

Sorensen estimated FCA spent at least $120,000 over the course of the legal battle. He said the organization thought they could’ve recouped most if not all of those costs but decided to go for a lesser amount to cover outstanding debts because “the last thing we’re trying to do is get taxpayers to foot more of the bill.”

The settlement marks “a significant milestone” for Franklin, Nelson said, bringing an end to the legal proceedings and paving the way “for healing, unity and a renewed focus on our shared goals.”

Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on Twitter @Redheadliner.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: After more than two years, Franklin lawsuit over Strauss settled