www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-04 13:40:00
The Beacon Center and Nashville settled a class action lawsuit over stormwater capacity fees after Peyton Pratt was charged over $6,000 for expanding his home. Nashville implemented the fees in February 2024 to fund stormwater system improvements, charging residents based on total impervious area, including existing surfaces like roofs and sidewalks. Pratt was wrongly charged for more than triple the added impervious area. Nashville agreed to reimburse $1.4 million to affected residents, repay Pratt, and pay $5,000 in attorney fees to the Beacon Center, pending federal judge approval. The settlement aims to support affordable housing development by easing fee burdens.
(The Center Square) – The Beacon Center and the city of Nashville have settled a class action lawsuit over stormwater capacity fees.
Peyton Pratt sued the city after he was charged more than $6,000 in fees when he expanded his residence, according to a release from the Beacon Center, which represented Pratt.
Nashville enacted the new fee structure for residents obtaining building permits in February 2024. The money from the fees was allocated to fund capital improvements in the city’s stormwater system.
“Perhaps worse, Metro’s stormwater capacity fee charges individuals on a per square-foot fee not just for impervious area that they’re adding, but also for impervious area that has existed all along,” the lawsuit said. “Thus, even though Mr. Pratt sought to add less than 2,500 square feet in impervious area, Metro charged him a stormwater capacity fee for over 8,000 square feet.”
Impervious areas include roofs, streets, sidewalks and parking areas that are covered.
Nashville agreed to settle and pay back $1.4 million to residents who were charged the fees in order to obtain a permit. Pratt will also recoup his money and the Beacon Center will receive $5,000 in attorneys fees, according to the settlement.
A federal judge has to sign off on the agreement before it is final.
“This is a landmark agreement, not just for our client, but for all Tennesseans,” said Wen Fa, Beacon’s vice president of legal affairs. “Tennesseans have long identified the lack of housing as a significant issue, so we’re pleased that this proposed settlement clears the path for builders to make housing affordable by building more homes for Tennesseans.”
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s office did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article primarily reports on a legal dispute involving the Beacon Center, a conservative/libertarian-leaning think tank, and the city of Nashville over stormwater capacity fees. The tone is factual and focused on the settlement details, including the fee structure, lawsuit claims, and financial outcomes. However, the selection of sources and framing subtly reflects a free-market, anti-regulation perspective typical of Center-Right viewpoints, emphasizing the burden of government fees on residents and the positive impact on housing affordability. The absence of commentary from city officials and the highlighting of the Beacon Center’s stance reinforce this ideological leaning without overt editorializing.
The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility dismissed an ethics complaint against attorney Cynthia Sherwood, who represents former House staffer Cade Cothren. The complaint, filed by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, involved a private investigator’s visit to the home of registry director Bill Young. The registry deemed it unethical, but the board found no wrongdoing. Cothren and ex-House Speaker Glen Casada were convicted in a bribery scheme involving Phoenix Solutions. A related PAC, linked to Cothren via testimony, ran attack ads in 2020. Registry officials are seeking to renew investigations after the federal trial concluded in May 2025.
The Tennessee panel that handles attorney disciplinary cases has cleared a lawyer accused of an ethics violation involving an encounter between a private eye and the state’s campaign finance chief.
The state Board of Professional Responsibility notified Nashville attorney Cynthia Sherwood in early July that it dismissed a complaint against her filed by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, the state body in charge of regulating campaign finance disclosures.
Sherwood provided a copy of the confidential letter to the Lookout.
“The decision speaks for itself,” Sherwood said in an email statement. “The frivolous complaint was dismissed outright. I cannot speculate about why the Registry and AG’s Office don’t want to admit the complaint against me was dismissed outright.”
Sherwood represents Cade Cothren, the former chief of staff to Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada. Cothren and Casada were convicted on multiple counts of federal bribery and kickback charges involving state-funded constituent mailers run by a secretive vendor called Phoenix Solutions.
Cothren and Casada are seeking new trials after being convicted in May.
Registry board members voted unanimously in September 2024 to notify the disciplinary board that a private investigator for Sherwood went to the home of registry executive director Bill Young last August and tried to talk to him about a case. Young said last year he declined to speak to the private investigator because the Registry has pending litigation involving Cothren in Chancery Court. Young is represented by a staff attorney and the state Attorney General’s Office in the case.
The Registry’s members were upset about the incident and sought disciplinary action, saying it is unethical for an attorney to try to talk to a person known to be represented by a lawyer in a pending case.
After the Board of Professional Responsibility rendered its decision this July, the board two weeks ago asked the Attorney General’s Office for a legal opinion on whether the disciplinary board’s letter should be a public record.
Registry officials declined to release the letter until receiving clarification from the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office refused to release it, citing attorney-client privilege.
Registry board members also declined to divulge the Board of Professional Responsibility’s decision.
Three years ago, the Registry board subpoenaed Cothren to question him about the Faith Family Freedom Fund political action committee as part of a fraud probe. Cothren refused to comply, but Casada showed up at a later meeting and denied any connection to the PAC or knowledge of its actions.
Yet Sydney Friedopfer, a former girlfriend of Cothren, testified to the board that Cothren had her register the political action in her name and then turn operations over to him during the 2020 election year.
The PAC used a $7,500 campaign donation from a North Carolina restaurant owner named Brandon Crawford, who was never found, to run attack ads against now-former state Republican Rep. Rick Tillis in his campaign with Republican Rep. Todd Warner of Chapel Hill.
Tillis was critical of Casada during his short stint as House speaker, using an anonymous Twitter account to highlight the Republican leader’s excesses. Tillis resigned his seat in August 2019 amid a sexist and racist texting scandal involving Cothren.
Registry board members turned the case over to the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office, and once the trial for Casada and Cothren wrapped up, Registry Chairman Tom Lawless urged Young to have the investigation renewed.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article from the *Tennessee Lookout* presents detailed coverage of legal and ethical proceedings involving Republican political figures in Tennessee. While the reporting is fact-based and includes direct quotes, the focus on Republican misconduct and use of terms like “frivolous complaint” and references to scandals may contribute to a perception of scrutiny toward conservative actors. The outlet provides transparency on sources and legal developments but frames the story in a way that may resonate more with a left-leaning audience, consistent with the *Lookout*’s broader editorial orientation toward government accountability and transparency.
SUMMARY: A Shelby County woman defended herself after three intruders kicked in her door and entered her home without permission. Armed, she fired a single shot, hitting 21-year-old Kamari Burnham, who was hospitalized and later stabilized. Burnham, along with Nala Kelly, faces aggravated burglary and vandalism charges; Dewan Payne also faces aggravated burglary charges. Tennessee law permits deadly force to protect one’s home once intruders cross inside, even if unarmed. Defense experts say the woman’s response was justified self-defense since she used minimal force to stop the threat. The reason for the intruders’ presence remains unclear.
Video obtained by FOX13 shows the moment a Shelby County woman shot an intruder in her home. Since she is not facing any …
SUMMARY: Corey Adams, an 18-year-old freshman football player for the University of Mississippi, was fatally shot outside a home in Cordova, Tennessee, late on July 19. The shooting, involving five victims, occurred around 10 p.m. outside a party; Adams died at the scene, while four others were hospitalized with non-critical wounds. Witnesses described a chaotic scene with gunfire and multiple cars fleeing. Authorities continue investigating and seeking suspects. Adams was a top defensive lineman recruit expected to join Ole Miss’s football team. Ole Miss and Adams’ former high school team expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss.
