Brno won a lawsuit against the developer in the Wilson case

Brno - The Municipal Court in Brno today dismissed the lawsuit of the developer Wilson Property, who was seeking 11.8 million crowns in damages from the city of Brno due to an unrealized construction project. The court spokesman Petra Hovorková told ČTK. The company wanted to build a multifunctional building called Wilson in the former military area at Brno's náměstí Míru, but the project was not realized.

"The lawsuit was dismissed in full, and the plaintiff was ordered to pay the defendant's costs of the proceedings," said the spokesperson.

The Brno-střed municipality welcomed the ruling. "We are satisfied with the decision of the Municipal Court in Brno today, which dismissed the claim of Wilson Property Ltd. for damages due to the statute of limitations and failure to prove the claim. The ruling confirms our legal opinion," said the spokesperson for the Brno-střed municipality, Kateřina Dobešová, to ČTK.

The long-standing case dates back to 2006 when the former mayor of the Brno-střed district, Dagmar Hrubá (ODS), signed contracts with Wilson Property for the construction of a multifunctional building on náměstí Míru. It concerned a former military facility that the city received free of charge from the state. The only condition was that it would not be used commercially for a certain period of time. However, the contracts signed by Hrubá were in conflict with this provision, and Hrubá, by virtue of her position, was not allowed to sign them.

The company rented the land from the Brno-střed district for a symbolic crown per square meter per year. Hrubá defended this move by stating that the company had committed to decontaminate the area, which would cost millions of crowns.

The municipality terminated the lease agreement with the company in 2016. The owner of the company, Michal Wiedermann, initially wanted to sue for 100 million crowns, but the company ultimately sued Brno for 11.8 million.

"According to the judge, however, the claim was filed late and was subject to the statute of limitations, as the developer was aware of the disputed contracts at least since 2008/2009," stated Brno-střed councilor Michal Závodský (for SZ) on his Facebook profile. He added that the ruling is not final.

"The ruling was delivered orally this morning; the written version is yet to be prepared. I do not expect the developer to appeal, but they certainly have the right to do so," said city councilor Svatopluk Bartík (for Žít Brno) on his profile.

Three years ago, the Regional Court in Brno sentenced Hrubá in this context for attempted abuse of power and violation of duties in the management of someone else's property. She was given 18 months with a two-year suspended sentence.