Griffith Street Hotel first day in court on Thursday

The legal effort to reverse the approval of the Griffith Street Hotel effort has its first day in court on Thursday.  According to calendaring information on the Mecklenburg  County Courts website, initial motions will be heard at 10am with Superior Court Judge Lisa Bell presiding.

The hearing is expected to be brief, just 30 minutes per the calendar.  As an opening move, the developer's attorney has filed a motion to dismiss.  That is not a surprising move since the response from the developer effectively denied there was anything wrong with the process that approved the hotel. But now it is not the developer's opinion that matters, it is the judge's.

It is unclear whether Judge Bell will be the judge for this case or just for these first motions.  The case is also on the calendar for next Tuesday for a motion called a "judgement on the pleadings".  According to the calendar the judge to hear motions next week has not been assigned.  A "judgement on the pleadings" is asking for the judge to make a decision simply on the responses from the parties.  The Town's response should be available by that hearing scheduled for Tuesday 4/17 at 2:30pm

Here is a little about Judge Bell from the court website.

Personal and Education: 

Judge Lisa C. Bell received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and her J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Before she became a judge, Bell spent her legal career in private practice. During this time, she also served as an attorney advocate with the Children's Law Center. Lisa C. Bell was elected to the court on November 4, 2014, to a term commencing on January 1, 2015, and expiring on December 31, 2022. She was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory to fill the vacant seat of John C. Martin, who retired Aug. 1, 2014. 

Experience: 

From August 1, 2014, to December 31, 2014, Judge Bell sat on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Judge Bell also served as a special superior court judge for the North Carolina Superior Courts from March 2013 to August 2014, a position which she was also appointed to by Governor McCrory. She previously served as the chief district court judge for the 26th Judicial District of North Carolina. In 1998, she became a district court judge for the 26th Judicial District, and in 2009, she became the court's chief judge. Bell was appointed to serve as a special judge on the NC Superior Courts in March 2013.

If you are interested in attending the Court House is at:

832 E 4th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202