Railroad Museum's Response to City's Lawsuit

8/14/2019 Railroad Museum's Response to City's Lawsuit

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CAUSENOCITY OFDALLASV.MUSEUM OFTHE AMERICA]\ ^RAILROAD,e f t*us Non-ProfitCorporationV.CITY OFDALLAS

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DEFENDANTSRIGTN{!-{I:WE& ANDtIIlTMArrvE DEFENSES',couNrEn-pr,n'ir-liliJ-C1-*Ili;idixrMtorrnxolNrANDcouNrER-pLArNrrFF'sRnadsir-o-nrNniiiiivniintrEF'ANiDEFE\DANTANDcounriR-plArN rrr,, ili qon -r on 's cr,osuRE

TO THE HONORABLE COURT:COME S NowDefendan tMUSE UMoFTHE A MERICA NRA ILROA D( the

.oMuseum,,),aTexasNon-ProfitCorporation,andfilesitsoriginalAnswertoPlaintiffsoriginalpetition, arong with Affrrmative Defenses, counterclaims, Request

for Injunctive Relief and

Request or Disclosuresandby way of answershows:I.General Denial

TheDefendantspecificallydenieseachandeveryiteminPlaintiffsoriginalPetition,whicilisthebasisofPlaintifflsactiorr'r:,ldemandsstrictproofthereof.

II.Relief Requested

TheDefendantrequeststhatPlaintifftakenothingbythisactionandthattheDefendantrecovercostsofCourtandallotherrelieftowhichitmaybeentitled.

il .Affirmative Defenses tANDDEFENDANT A.


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then ecently etired600-class teamocomotive,o the stateFair,for thecitizensof thecity of

Dallas.Thecity dedicated pieceof propertyocatedn Fairpark or thepurpose f housingand

providingaccesso theT&p #63gfor the generar ublic. unfortunately,neither hecity northe

state Fair protectedor maintainedhe T&P #638 and withinsix years' he T&P #638 was

destroyedby lack of care, weather,and vandals("Everythingremovablewas removed'

Everythingsmashable as smashed.,, uote rom the DallasMoming News at the time)'The

Texas& pacific Railroadurged he city and he stateFair to make he necessaryepairs,but

instead,he city and he stateFair sold the neglected nddestroyed teamocomotive othe

American ron andMetalscompany. The locomotivewas cut up at Fair Parkusing acetylene

torches,and gnominiously,ts pieceswereplacednto railroadgondola ars o be shippedo a

smetter. hePublicwasoutraged'DuetotheTexas&PacificRailroad,scontinuousinvolvementwiththeStateFairs

its inception n 1886 and in reaction o the public outcry' the Texas & Pacific Railroad

approachedStateFairofficialstoproposeapossiblereplacementoftheT&P#638.TheTepacific Railroaddid not haveany more steam0comotives, o the Texas& pacific Railroad

begananation_wideearchor a suitable ubstituteor the"neglected ndscrapped" &p #638'Fortuitously, he Texas& Pacific Railroad ocated he New York central #3001' a steam

locomotive ery similar o the scrapped 63g,generouslyurchasedhe locomotive'andatits

own expense,efurbishedhe locomotive o like new condition, epaintedhe locomotiveand

tendero resemble T&p rocomotive, nd enumberedt theT&P #909'In 1957,afterall workwascompleted n thenew#909,T&P graciously onated 909 o

the stateFair for the citizensof the city. As beforewith the T&P #638,T&P #909was alsoplaced nthesame edicatedropertyas he#638'

cowrERcLArMs,DEFENDANl!,1?71fui-:'ffi|::{if'!l^if ;!:H?TI*RELIEFf.Y;iff#'Xfi K;;?""'#;;#;;;'friiir"s nnaunsroR IscLosuRESPage


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Inordertopreventasecondlocomotivefrombecomingscrapmetal,andtoavoidanothepubricrelationsdisaster,he stateFair andthe city madearrangernents ith the southwesternRailroadHistoricalSociety the .sRHS"),a iterarysociety,o takeon the askof protecting nd

maintaininghe T&p #g0g. Just o keepa steam ocomotive or anytype of locomotiveor

railcar)from rustinganddeterioratingequiresconstantwork anddiligence,and hecity and he

StateFairwerenotwilling to put forth thenecessary ffort.Locomotivesand ailcarsalso equire

money or paint,materialsandspecial ervices,ypically housands f dollarsor moreper year

perunit.ThesRHS,despite otbeing n thepreservationusiness, cceptedheresponsibility o

that heT&p #g0gwouldnevermeet hescrapper,sorch,and hepublicwouldbe able o learn

abouthe mportance f railroadhistory'The SRHS, he city and the StateFair (the "Parties")all participatedn this implied

contracto keep heT&p #g0g n optimumconditionor thebenefitof not ust railroad ans,but

thegeneral ublic.TheT&p #g0gwasarecurring it at hestateFair,andeventually,ecause f

pubricdernand,he city and he StateFair askedhe SRHS f it would be wining to exhibit the

T&p #909 heother49weeksof theyearwhen hestateFairwasnot running'TheSHRSagreed

to exhibit heT&p #909everySunday,when heStateFairwasclosed. he ermsof this mpliedcontractwereas forlows:The SRHSwourdprotectandmaintain he T&p #909and he site t

was ocated n,using nonies ollectedhroughadmissionharges, nd hecity or thestateFair

would pay for all the utilities at the site.The StateFair alsoagreedo procure he additionallocomotives nd ollingstock'

ThePartiesagreedtoexpandtheCollectionwhenanoldrailroadyardofficewassettdemorished s t was n the way of Interstate 0,s construction ndDallasUnion Terminal'ssteamocomotive#7 wasretired, waitinganuncertainate. Theyardofficewasoriginallyone

vnIINTERILAIMS,EFENDtT''\!9:.iy:;i:!*lffi:!:::*:"::;ll;::ffi"rrw RELIEF''fry;f ;;i;'#ii'oii"ii",fr i'tt-iitiiuinp'iEauESrFoRDISCLusaRES-Page4


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of the first railroaddepotsn Dallas,built by the Houston& Texascentral n the 1880's'The

StateFair and ocal philanthropistEverettDeGoryer, r. colraboratedn order o move he two

pricelesspiecesofDallas,srailwayheritagetothesamelocationinFairPark.LocomotivetheDepotand &p #909weredisprayed s hestate

Fair's"Age of steamExhibit" thatdebuted

in octoberof 1963. 'RHS, who remainedn chargeof protectingandmaintaininghe T&P

#g'g,was now chargedwith theprotection ndmaintenancef thenewpieces, nd n 1979,the

TexasHistoricalcommissiondesignatedhe Depotas a Recordedexas HistoricLandmark,

worthy of preservation.Over the years, he StateFair and the SRHS(and ts successor'he

Museumof theAmericanRailroad)continuedo expandhecollection,whichnow includesover

thirty_seven37)pieces f roting stockand wo (2) historicstructuresthe collection")'The SRHS eventually changed ts name in order to reflect its growing scope of

responsibilities.n 1gg0,hestateFairquitclaimed ny nterestt mighthavehad n thegrowing

railroadCollection o the Defendant,and over the years'the termsof the implied contract

remainedhesame. hecity or thestateFairprovidedheutilitiesand heSRHS/Museumf the

AmericanRailroadmaintained ndexhibitedhe coflection,and he site,using undscollected

for admission.The StateFair assistedn expandinghe collection. The city expandedhededicated ite to approximately .gacresn the mid to late60's to accommodatehe growing

Cotlection.overtheyears'theMuseumtookonamoreformaleducator'srole.sothatDallasw

never orget ts rich railroadhistory,theMuseum nitiatedamyriadof educational rograms or

the City,s schoolchildren.ver the last five years,an average f 8,000Dallasschoolchildrenhave oured heMuseumeachyear,atno cost o thechildren.TheMuseumoffersandcontinuestooffermanyeducationalprogramsthatareTEKS(TexasEssentialKnowledgeandS

rvmTERCLATMI,DEFENDANT!'I?9,?,W::iiili:#i!:::Xy::;;l;IWg^?,Y;;f;ifffi,iX#;";;;"fr;;t-;;;;'i;;'sREauESrFoRDISCLosaREs'Page


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compliant, such as: Bells, Whistles& SteamEngines, Train Technologt, WestwardExpansionand the TranscontinentalRailroad, Golden Age of Rail Travel: Life and Times on the Rails,Cattle, Cotton, and Crude on the Rails, The Lives and Triumphs of the Pullman Porters andmany more. The Museum alsooffers outreachprograms, ntemshipsand extensionprograms, allone of a kind services hat benefit Dallas and ts children.

But the Museum was running out of space.As eady as2000, the Partiesrecognized hatthe lack of spacewas hampering he growth of what was then calledthe Age of SteamMuseum.In 2006, the Defendant commissionedand paid for a strategicplan on how to best grow theMuseum and its programs.The plan recommendedhat the Defendantmust move to a site of at

least 9-15 acres n order to protect the integrity of the Collection, which had grown substantiallyfrom its founding in 1963. The plan's greatestconcernwas that the exhibits were jammed soclosetogether, hat it was diffrcult for visitors to fully appreciatehe breadthand magnitudeofthe Collection, which included a Big Boy steam ocomotive, the world's largest.Further, somehistoric pieces were storedoff-site. Based upon the recommendationsof the plan, the Museumlooked at four different locations, including the south parking lot of Reunion Arena, the T&Pdepot in Fort Worth, the SantaFe depot in Fort Worth and a tract near the Missouri-Kansas-Texas ail line along DentonDrive nearLove Field. None of the sites werepractical. Additionalattemptshad beenmade to locate the Museum in the old MKT railroad yard neardovrntcwn,orin Dallas' West End. The MKT yard could not be used becauseof environmentalcontaminationand the West End attemptdied for lack of support.

City Councilman Ron Natinsky, a self-professed ailfan, then spearheaded n effort tomove the Museum to an approximately Z-acre ract outside of Fair Park, and secured$2.75 topurchaseand condemnan adjacent2 acres. In order to move, the Defendantwas required to

SCOWTERCLAIMS,DEFENDANT ND COANTER.PLAINTIFF'SEQAEST OR NIWCTIVE RELIEF,ANDDEFENDANT NDCOWTER.PLAINTIFF'SREQUEST ORDISCLOSARESPAgC


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raisea matching$235. Thenew ocationproposed y Natinskywasunsuitableor a varietyofreasons.First, the shapeof the tractwas not conduciveo a railroadmuseumand ts tracks.DART would not agree o leavea siding n placewhich meant hat the Collectionwould be

stranded. And Natinsky proposedcondemning he additional two acresnext door that wasoccupied y Triple S Dynamics,a century-oldmachineshop hat performedmachiningon theDefendant'socomotives. The Boardof Trusteesor the Defendantwas very uncomfortableaboutcondemning roperty o movethe Museum. TheMuseum rustees autionedhePlaintiffthat4 acreswouldstill not be enoughand,based pon he strategic lan. In addition,henewproposedocationwassubstantiallyway rom any raffic flow, and he rusteeselievedhat heMuseumwasdoomedo failure f it moved here.Councilman atinskywasadamant,owever,that theMuseumhad o moveout of Fair Park n order o providemoreparkingspacesor theStateFair.TheParties ad eached n mpasse.

Along came he City of Frisco,an old railroad own namedafterthe St. Louis -- SanFranciscoRailway known as heFrisco) hat ran throught. TheCity of FriscoapproachedheMuseum n2007to see f it wouldbe interestedn moving o Frisco.TheCity of Friscooffered12.3acresof land n Frisco "Friscoproperty"),and$1,000,000n matching unds o house hecompleteCollectionand o provide he Museumwith plentyof room to build andgrow. TheFriscopropertyallows he Museum o makeeverysinglepieceof the Collectionavailable orviewingby thegeneral ublic.

TheMuseumwas eluctanto move rom its homeof nearlyhalf a century, ut theCity'specificallyRon Natinsky, was insistent that the Museum must move from Fair Park.Reluctantly, he Board of TrusteesacceptedFrisco's offer and Bob Laprelle met withCouncilmanNatinsky o advisehim of the decisionand the effort that would be required n

ftw onpnrtsps, ooIINTER'PLATNTIFF'sCOUNTERCLAIMS,EFENDANT ND COWTER-PLAINTIFF'SREQUEST OR NJANCTIW RELIEF'AND DEFENDaNT AND COWTER.PI"./IINTIFF'S REQUEST FORDISCLOSARES PAgC7


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moving heCollection.Natinskywasoutraged.Someeighteenmonthsafter the Museumacceptedhe Frisco offer, the City sued he

Museum,alleging respass ndnuisance. he City now wants he Museumout of Fair ParkbyAugust l, 2010,an absolutempossibility,and complainshat 18 monthsshouldhavebeensufficient ime for theMuseum o move ts 37 locomotives nd ailcars,alongwith two historicstructures,ut of Fair Park.Sucha task s Herculean,n thateverythingmustbe movedacrosstheBurlingtonNorthemSantaFe Railwaymain ine to Frisco.There s no switchoff theBNSFmainline o go ontothe Friscoproperty,nor are here racks o hold the Museum'sCollection.The landuponwhich the trackswill be built in Friscohasnot beenprepared ndwill require

substantialill andcompaction.The movernent f theCollectionon theBNSFmainlinewill beconducted y a seriesof "HospitalMoves",meaninghat only one or two locomotivesand/orrailcarswill bemovedat a time in order o minimize herisk of derailment.Estimated osts omovethe entireCollection o Friscoare $2.1million, money hat the Museum s desperatelytrying o raise.

It is ironic that the City, the StateFair,and he Museumall want the same hing -- themove of the Museum o Frisco. Despite his commonpurpose,with its lawsuit, he City iscausingheMuseumo spendmonieson egaldefensehat couldhavebeenspenton themove oFrisco. Further, he City is harassinghe Museum hrough ts code enforcement rm bymountingpetty aidsagainstheMuseum.TheMuseum as o respond, ostingt money,whichagaindelayshemove.

The Museumholdsa fundraiser,Dinner in the Diner",eachyear n February. It is afully catered vent.prior to theevent,heCity requestedhat heMuseum roducets certificateof occupancy nd oodandalcoholpermits.TheMuseumespondedhat herehasneverbeena

EFENSES, COT]NTER-PL'/IINTIF'Sc o uN TERCr"ArMS,DE FENDANT AND COW TER-p ATNTTF F'SREQUEST F9!|_IN!AN CTIVE RELIEF'AND DEFENDANT AND COWTER-PLAINTIFF'S REQUESTFORDISCLOSURES'PAgC8


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certificate of occupancy that it has known of, and referred the City to its caterer for theappropriatepermits. Despite the response,city attorney Chris Caso again requested he sameinformation in an e-mail to the Museum's attomey, William J. Brotherton. Mr. Brothertonprovidedthe same nformation to Mr. Caso hat he hadprovidedbefore. SeeExhibit"A", e-mailbetweenWilliam J. Brotherton and Chris Caso datedFebruary 11, 2010. Mr. Brotherton alsorequestedconfirmation from Mr. Caso that the eventwould be left alone. Mr. Caso sentan e-mail responseo Mr. Brotherton advisingthat the City would not disturb the event. SeeExhibit"B", e-mail betweenWilliam J. Brothertonand Chris Casodated February 12,2010. Despitethepromiseby Mr. Caso and despitethe fact that the Museum had provided the City with what itrequested, he event was raided by the City Health Departmentand armed TABC officers onSaturdaynight, February 13, 2010. Despite his being a cateredevent,Bob LaPrellewas citedbythe HealthDepartment or smokedsalmonappetizershat the inspectorsbelievedweretoo wafin.Mr. LaPrelle was also given a warning citation by the TABC, and the 36 guestsof the eventwere orderedto drop their wine glasses. Staff of the catereroverheard he Health Departmentpersonnel talking among themselvesthat they had to "push the Museum hard" and that they hadto find somethingto cite. This absurdraid, conductedon a Saturday evening during All-Starweekend,when therewere tens of thousandsof privatepartiesgoing on throughout he City, wasa gross abuseof power and a malicious act that was used to put pressureon the Museum tovacate he property on the City's scheduleand to the detrimentof the Collection, the Museum,and the generalpublic. Now, the City, through CouncilmanNatinsky, has publically threatenedto cut off the Museum's utilities: the electricity,gasand water. See Exhibit"C",blogUnfairPark article. Natinsky has even threatened to attempt to recoup payment for past utilitiesprovidedto the Defendant.

SCOWTERCI,./IIMS, EFENDANT ND COWTER-PLAINTIFF,S EQUEST OR NTUNCTIVERELIEF'ANDDEFENDANT NDCOWTER-PLAINTIFF,S ESAEST ORDISCLOSARESPAgE


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Despiteall of this, he Defendant ontinueso complywith all of the ermsof the mpliedcontract etweenhe Parties ndwill continueo do so.

The City alleges respass ndnuisancewhen he City and he Museumhave actedunderthe implied contract or over forty-sevenyears n the samemanner hat the City now claims strespassndnuisance.Whiletheres no specificwrittenagreernentetweenheParties,herearea numberof writings hat confirm herelationshipetweenheParties. TheMuseum asalwaysoperated nder he most recent ermsof the implied contractbetween he Parties. Therehasneverbeena leasebecausehe Museumhasneverbeen a tenantunder he law. The city ofDallasdedicatedand to be a Museum; heDefendant asprovidedsuchserviceo theCity andthe public. The City's lawsuit s frivolous,wasnot filed in good aith, andwasfiled solely oharassheMuseum.

Further, he Plaintiff seeksnjunctiverelief to keep the Museum rom accessingheproperty o maintain he Collection,which the Plaintiff so casually efers o as "Equipment."With no one o protectandmaintain heextensiveCollection,heCollectioncouldeasilygo theway of scrapped &P #638. Indeed,City Attomey Chris Bowers stated hat if the Plaintiffsomehowookpossessionf the Collection,heCity wouldo'putit on eBay".

The Plaintiffclaims n its petition hat t is preventedrom using hededicated ropertyfor otherpurposes; owever, he City lost this right to use the dedicated roperty or otherpurposeswhen t dedicatedhe propertyover 60 yearsago for the pu{poseof displaying herailroadcollectiono thepublic. Until thepurposeor whichthe City dedicatedheproperty svoluntarilyabandonedy theDefendant,heCity doesnot havesuperioright to the and.

If the City continues o harassand hinder the Museum's fundraisingabilities andcontinueso financiallystrain he Museum,heMuseumwill only be in a position o remainon

sCOWTERCLAIMS, DEFENDANT AND COUNTER-PLAINTIFF'S REQAEST FOR NTWCTIVE KELIEF,AND DEFENDANT AND COUNTER.PLAINTIFF,S REQUESTFORDISCLOSURES PAgE10


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thededicatedropertyndefinitelyor until it raiseshenecessaryunds o move he Collection othe Friscoproperty. Since he City has demonstratedts desire o injure he Collectionand heMuseum, hus resulting n great njury to the generalpublic, the Museumassertsts Counter-

Claims,AffirmativeDefenses,ndRequestor InjunctiveRelief.Further,heMuseum equests

emergencyeliefto preventheCity fromdestroyingheMuseumand ts Collection.V.No Governmentalmmunity

By the City's own suit, filed before he Museum'spleadings, ndby the City's requestfor the affirmative relief affordedby injunctive relief, the City has waived its sovereigl andgovernmentalmmunity defenseas to the Museum'srelatedclaims,the Museum'srelateddefenses, r theotherclaimsrelated o the controversy uchas he injunctiverelief theMuseumnow seeks. Further, he City's actsand/oromissionshat are the basisof the suit are notgovemmentalctsof themunicipalitybut areproprietary ctsof themunicipality.TheCity doesnot seeko act n the urtherancef thegeneralaws or the nterest f thepublic atlatge; nsteadthe City is performingactsat ts discretion nd or thebenefitof thoseonlywithin its corporatelimits, ncluding heStateFair. Therefore,hePlaintiff s actingoutsidehe scope f anyclaimedimmunity.

VI .Applicationfor Iniu*ijive Reliefpursuanto Tex.R. Civ. P. 680,andTex.civ. Prac.& Rem.CodeAnn. $$65.01o

65.002and65.021 o 65.023,Defendant eeks TemporaryRestrainingOrder,andafternoticeand hearing,a Temporary njunction restrainingPlaintiff and Plaintiffs agents,servantsemployees,epresentatives,nd those in active concertor participationwith Plaintiff, toimmediately omplywith the following,and continue o complyduringthe pendencyof this

Es' 00aNTER-PL/IINTIFF'SCOW TERCL/IIMS,DEFENDANT AND COW TER.P AINTIF F'SREQI]ESTFOR.INIT]NCTIVEREL EF'ANDDEFENDANT AND COWTER-PLAINTIFF'S REQUESTFORDISCLOSURES PAgE1I


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litigation:1 . The city shallcontinueo respecthe dedicated .8 acreproperty,as t has donefor ovei 60 years,andshall trot *uk" any attunpt to remove he Defendant romFairPark;

The City shall continue o provideall utilities to Defendant, &s,electricandwater,ur it hur done or manyyears,andshallmakeno attempt o terminate. rcut-off heutilitiesor suspendiotherwisenterferewith thecontinuousrovisionof theutilities,nor shallPlaintiffbill Defendantor pastuseof utilities.;TheCity shallnot interferewith theMuseum'sdailyactivitiesor any undraisingactivities n whichtheMuseummayengagen;The City shall not adverselyaffect the historical structureon the dedicatedpropertf eitherby affirmative action or preventing he Museum'smaintenanceandprotection f thehistoricalstructure;The City shall not adverselyaffect the collection of railroad equipmentandexhibits, ncluding he locomotivesandrolling stockon the dedicated roperty,either by affirmative action or by preventingthe Museum'smaintenanceandprotection f theMuseum ollectionand hededicatedite;TheCity shallnot nterferewith or hinder heMuseum's ducationalrograms.TheCity shallnot nterferewith thegeneral ublic's accesso theMuseum;The City shallnot interferewith DISD schoolchildren'saccesso the Museum;and.The City shallnot harassDefendantn anymanner,ncludingbut no.t imited tosending'its code enforcement ersonnel o pester Defendantwith frivolousactions, uchasdemanding certificate f occupancyfter60years.

vII.Applicationfor TemporaryRestrainingULdIThe City has waived its sovereignor govemmental mmunity by filing suit againstthe

Museumandby seekingaffirmativerelief against he Museumrelating to the controversy'The City and the Museumhavebeen n an implied contract or at leastforty-sevenyears.

As part of the mutual agreement, he City dedicated and and utilities in order to house theCollection maintainedand protectedby the Defendant. Besidesmaintaining and protecting the

' COWTER.PLAINTIFF'SCOWTERCI^/IIMS, DEFENDANT AND CO(INTER'PL.4INTIF F'SREQUESTF?RJNIUNCTIW RELIEF'

2.

3.

4.

5 .

6.18.9.

AND DEFENDANT AND COWTER.PLAINTIF F'SREQUEST FORDISCLOSURES' PAgC 2


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Collection,and the dedicated ite, he Museumwas chargedwith growing he Collectionandprovidingaccesso it to the general ublic and DISD schoolchildren. The Museumhas ongoutgrown hepropertydedicatedy the City, andafternumerous nsuccessfulttemptso stay nDallas,has an opportunityo move o a 12.3acresite n Frisco. Unfortunately,t will take imeandmoney o safelymove he Collection o Frisco,so that here s no damageo the Collectionor to thirdparties.During hat ime, heMuseumwill continueo actunder he mplied contractandrequestshat the Court order he Plaintiff to refrain from taking actions hat would harmtheDefendant nd ts Collectionandpreventhepublic rom accessinghe Collection.

The Plaintiff has already sent armedTABC officers and other City officials to theMuseumduringa fundraiser,despite hefact that he Museumearlierprovided hedocumentsheCity requestedegardinghe event. Theraid wasmeant o put pressure n the Museum o leavethepremises ndabandonhe Collection.The City hasstatedhat t seekso shutoff theutilitiesnext. The City is trying to harassheMuseum nto leaving he dedicatedropertymmediatelyand o the detrimentof the Museumand the Collection. Suchactionsare causingrreparableharm o theMuseum or which heres no suitable emedyat aw and mmediate quitableeliefis sought.

Pursuanto Tex.R. Civ. P. 680 andTex. Civ. Prac.& Rern.CodeAnn. $$65.001o65.011and65.021o 65.023,he Defendant eeks TemporaryRestrainingOrder o preservehestatusquo of the subjectmatter of the suit until a hearingcanbe held on the application orTemporarynjunction,and after notice and hearing,a Ternporary njunction o preservehestatus uoof the subjectmatterof the itigationuntil a final hearing anbe held on the meritsofthe case,husrestraining he City, the City's agents, ervants, mployees,epresentatives,ndthosen activeconcert, r participationwith the City to immediately omplywith thefollowing,

DEFENDANT'S ORIGINAL ANSIryER, AND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES, COWTER.PL.4INTIFF'SCOUNTERCLAIMS, DEFENDANT AND COUNTER-PL./IINTI F'S RESUES T F OR NJANC TIVE RELIEF,AND DEFENDANT AND COaNTER-PL./IINTIFF'S REQUESTFOR DISCLOSURES Page13


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and continue o comply during the pendencyof this litigation:l. The City shall continueto respect he dedicated1.8 acreproperty, as it has done forover 6O years, and shall not make any attempt to remove the Defendant from FairPark;

2. The City shall continue o provide all utilities to Defendant,gas,electricandwater,as

it has done for many y"air, and shall make no attempt to terminate or cut-off theutilities or suspend-oi otherwise interfere with the continuous provision of theutilities, nor shallPlaintiff bill Defendant or past use of utilities.;3. The City shall not interfere with the Museum's daily activities or any fundraisingactivities in which the Museum may engage n;4. The City shall not adverselyaffect the historical structureon the dedicatedpropertyeither by affirmative action or preventing the Museum's maintenanceand protectionof the historical structure;"5. The City shall not adverselyaffect the collection of railroad equipmentand exhibits,including the locomotives and rolling stock on the dedicatedproperty, either byaffirmati-ve action or by preventing the Museum's maintenanceand protection of theMuseumcollection and he dedicatedsite;6. The City shall not interferewith or hinder the Museum's educationalprograms'7. The City shallnot interferewith the generalpublic's accesso the Museum;8. The City shallnot interferewith DISD schoolchildren's accesso the Museum;and.g. The City shall not harassDefendant in any mtlnner, including but not limited tosending its code enforcementpersonnel o pester Defendantwith frivolous actions,suchas demandinga certificateof occupancyafter60 years'

VIII.It is probabie that the Museum will recover from the Cliti' after a trial on the merits

because he City has breached he implied contract with the Museum and is estoppedby itsongoing promises to the Museum. Further, the City is estopped rom asserting ts claim oftrespass ndnuisance.

If the Museum's application is not granted, harm is imminent because he City hasalready acted adverselyto the Museum by sendingout armed TABC officers and other City

VE DEFENSES, COWTER-PLAINTIFF'SCOWTERCLAIMS, DEFENDANT AND COWTER.PLAINTIFF'S REQUESTFOR INIT]NCTIVE RELIEF'AND DEFENDANT AND COUNTER.PLAINTIFF'S REQUESTFORDISCLOSURES'PAgE14


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officialsto the Museum'sannual undraiser espitehe Museum'scompliancewith the City'sdemandsrior to the undraiser.The armed offrcialsweresent o harass, inder,and ntimidatethe Museumand its most affluent supporters. Further,the City is threateningo turn off the

Museum'sutilities in just anothereffort to harass, inder,and intimidate he Museum. TheMuseum,despitehehardships, ontinueso maintainandprotect he Collection,andmake heCollectionaccessibleo the generalpublic andDISD. To allow the City to act contraryo itsestablishedmannerof conductoverthe past47plusyearswould greatlyharm theDefendant,heCollectionand hegeneral ublic.

This harm hatwill result f the TemporaryRestrainingOrder s not issueds irreparablebecausehe Museum s a non-profit hat relieson donations ndmernbershipn exchangeormaking the Collectionaccessibleo the generalpublic and DISD schoolchildren,and theirreparablenjury will be to the Museum'spersonal roperty, he Collectionand he HistoricalStructures.Maintainingandprotectinghe Collectionand he HistoricalStructuress a costlyexpenditure,and f the City hindersor prevents he Museum rom continuing o maintainandprotect he Collectionby its harassment,ntimidationand other acts, he Collectionwill beirreparably armed, ndcouldbe ost forever.

The Defendant asno adequateemedyat law becausehe damageso the Museumareincalculable,nd urther,hePlaintiffhasmadets intention lear o destroyheMuseum.

Becausehe rreparablenjury will be to theMuseum'sCollection,HistoricalStructures,andpersonal roperty,andbecauseheMuseumhas a statutoryight to an njunction o protectagainstactsadverselyaffectinghistorical structures nderthe GovernmentCode, he Museumdoesnot have o prove hat heres no adequateemedyat aw. Howevert goeswithoutsayingthat the HistoricalStructures re rreplaceablend he Collection ncludes arepiecesof great

SCOWTERCLAIMS, DEFENDANT AND COUNTER.PLAINTIFF'S RESTIESTFOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF,AND DEFENDANT AND COWTER-PLAINTIFF'S REQAESTFOR DISCLOSARES PAgE15


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significance.Defendants willing to postbond. Defendant as notified Plaintiff that it is seeking

emergencyelief.IX.Requestor TemporaryInjunction

TheMuseumasks heCourt o set ts Application or Temporarynjunction or ahearing,and,after he hearing, ssuea TemporarynjunctionagainstDefendants,eeping hestatusquoduring he pendency f the suit. Additionally, heMuseumseeksa StatutorynjunctionunderGovemmentCode$442.012o enjoin he City from adversely ffecting he historicalstructurerecognized y theTexasHistoricalCommissionhat s located nthe dedicatedroperty.

X.CounterclaimsCAUSENO. 1: BREACH OF IMPLIED CONTRACT

Over47 yearsago, he Partiesenterednto an mplied contract.The Plaintiffdedicatedcertainproperty n Fair Park o be used o collectandexhibit ailroad ocomotives,olling stock,structures ndmemorabiliao be viewedby the public. The Defendant greedo maintainandprotectall of the exhibits,usingproceedsrom the admission ate. Further, he Defendantagreedo maintain he entire dedicated ite. The Plaintiff agreed o pay for all utilities. TheStateFair agreedo purchase nd/orprocureadditionalailroadexhibits.Thismutualagreementhasbeen n place or almosthalf a centuryand herehasbeenpartialperformance. he City ofDallashas now breachedhis implied contractby attemptingo removeDefendantrom thededicated roperty,by harassingDefendanthroughcodeenforcementctivities,andby filingsuit againstDefendantalleging trespassand nuisance,which constitute rivolous claims.Defendantasbeenharmed y PlaintifPsbreach.

SCOANTERCLAIMS,DEFENDANT AND COUNTER-PLAINTIFF'S REQUESTFOR INJWCTIW RELIEF,AND DEFENDANT AND COUNTER.PL.IIINTIFF,SREQUESTFORDISCLOSURES PagE16


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XI.CAUSENO.2: PROMISSORY STOPPELIn the alternativeo Count1, Plaintiff madeapromiseo Defendanthat Plaintiffdid not

keep.The Plaintiffhasmadepromiseso the Defendant, nd he Defendant as easonably ndsubstantiallyeliedon these romisesor forty-sevenearso its detriment.The City providedadedicated ite to house and grow the railroad Collection. The Defendantmaintainedandprotected he growing Collection,using funds collected hrough the admissiongate. TheDefendantprovidedall propertymaintenance.The City paid the utilities. The Defendantprovidededucationalrogramso the City's schoolchildrenndadults.The Defendant'seliancewas foreseeabley the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff is now attemptingo forcethe Defendantoffdedicatedroperty,and eneging n ts promises. he Court shouldenforcehe City's promises.Damageso theMuseumareongoing.

XII.Actual DamagesAs a resultof Plaintiffs actions,he Defendant assuffered conomicosses nd ncurred

expenses irectly attributable o the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff does not have governmentalimmunity for its proprietaryactsand the Plaintiff is liable for the amountof actualdamagescaused y its actsand/oromissions.The Defendantequestshat he Court ind that heCity isliable or all actualdamagesaused y its proprietary ctsandawardsuch o theDefendant.

XIII.ExemplaryDamagesThe proprietaryacts of the City are intentional, willful, and wanton, showing

maliciousnessnd evil intentby thepolicy-making fficials; herefore,he Defendants entitledto exemplary amages.The Defendant equestshat the Court find that the City's proprietaryacts demonstrate aliciousnessnd evil intent by the policy-makingofficials and exemplary

SCOWTERCI,,/IIMS, DEFENDANT AND COUNTER-PLAINTIFF,SREQAESTFOR INJWCTIVE RELIEF,AND DEFENDANT AND COUNTER-PLAINTIFF,SREQAESTFOR DISCLOSURES Page17


18/29

damagesrewarranted ndshouldbe awardedo theDefendant.xIV.Attorney Fees

Becausehe City doesnot havegovernmentalmmunity for its proprietaryacts, he Cityis not mmune or the iability or the attomeyeesonthatclaim. TheDefendanteeks ttomey'sfeesandexpensesnderTex.Civ.Prac.& Rern.CodeAnn. $37.008.

XV.Requestor DisclosuresPursuanto TexasRules f Civil Procedureg4,Plaintiff is requestedo disclose o later

than hirty (30)days romreceipthosematters ontained ithinRule194.2(a)hrough l).XVI.Prayer

WIIEREFORE, the Museum equestshat the City be cited o appear ndanswer, ndthat onfinalhearinghereof,heMuseum ave:

l. A TemporaryRestrainingOrder,and after noticeand a hearing,a TemporaryInjunction o protect he Museum, he Collectionand the HistoricalStructuresfrom thedamages ndharm ntendedandperpetratedy the City;Z. A Judgmentinding hePlaintifftakenothingby reason f its petitionherein;3. ActualDamages;4. ExemplaryDamages;5. Attomey eesandexpenseso be determinedt he i'ne of trial;6. Costsof suit,andpostjudgmentnterest; nd7. Suchotherand urther eliefto whichDefendantmaybe ustly entitled.

tsCOWTERCL/1MS, DEFENDANT AND COWTER-PL/IINTIFF'S REQaEST FOR INJWCTIW RELIEF,AND DEFENDANT AND COANTER-PLAINTIFF'S REQT]ESTFORDISCLOSARESPAgC18


19/29

Respectfullyubmitted,BROTI{ERTONLAW FIRM

lliamJ. BrotState arNo.HeidiS. WhitakerState arNo.2404505lShawnM. BrothertonState arNo. 240649562340FM407,Suite200HighlandVillage,TX 7 5077972-3178700:Fax972-3 7 0189

ATTORMYS FORDEFENDANTandCOI.INTER-PLAINTIFF

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICEI hereby ertiff that a true andcorrectcopyof the foregoingDEFENDANZ'SORIGINALANSWER,AND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES,COUNTER-PLAINTIFF'SCOT.]NTERCLAIMS,DEFENDANT AND COUNTER-PLAINTIFF'SREQUESTFOR INJUNCTIVERELIEF, AND

DEFENDANTAND COUNTER-PLAINTIFF'SREQUESTFOR DISCLOSUREShas this daybeensentpursuanto the TexasRulesof Civil Procedureo Christopher . Caso CityAttomex, 1500 Marilla Street,Room 7BN, Dallas,TX 75201,AttorneyforLUY dayof February,Z}I}. / on the

WilliamJ.

DEFENDANT'S ORIGINAL ANSIFER, AND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES, COUNTER-PLAINTIFF'SCOUNTERCLAIMS,DEFENDANT AND COANTER-PLAINTIFF'S REQAEST FOR NJUNCTIVE RELIEF,AND DEFENDANT AND COUNTER-PLAINTIFF,S REQAESTFOR DISCLOSURES Page20


20/29

age or z

To: 'Caso,GhrisSubject:RE:File:L1}-Ol24MuseumoftheAmericanRailroad'CODv'chris: when you and spokeastweek,.Igave-y9u?ll tht information

hatresolvedheso-calledissueshatyou are aisingagainoday.V;t' uOui"dme hen hat hematterwas esolved' findit appallinghatyouhavJciosen o contactmeona snowyday ust before he vluseum'smajorfund-raising ventandessentiallyhreateno cancelheevent'Vou toldmewhenwefirst spokerhatyou conducted"*r;iii" u'pror.rrionul *n.r. Thisconducts hardlyprofessional'fyou ntend o shut "*";; rta"rlrqg .u.J-irttn tell meso hat heMuseum ango ahead ndcancelandattempto recoup omeof itJ i"*., r"a to softenheblowto the72 peopre hohaveil;;;;";ticipate in the"Dinner n theDiner"event'I will reiteratewhat toldyou astweek. Further, ince ouhavedirectaccesso city of Dallasemployees,or, orrfo-ft*! .onnr-.6 *rif' *ftui i*^ttifi"g younow n thise-mail' TheSpiceof Life is thecater;;;ih. event. ft.y ftuiu. fre.e;nC ntt.rtit' TheMuseum asbeenconductingfr... .u.rit, since1992witirouteverhavingoneproblem'Thecity of course asbeenwe* aware"fr;il;" ;;ents. If you"..i i"-"1ri *Itn tn

caterer, ernames SueKollingerandshe anbe..u"rrfJut g72-4I7-i75;.-l;t;;"tql tqtht foodservice ermit' hepermitnumbers 42221,J;;r obtainedhroughhebaths healthdepartment''m sureyou canconfirm hatalso.As for thecertificate f occupancy,lhismatterwas nvestigatedy Dallas Tpl:I::::::Hamilton.St. tofJ-gob.LaPrelle,hepresident f theMuseum'hatno furtheractlonwasrequired y thervror"oro.As I have oiOvou on anumberof occasions'heMuseumwashrstestabrishedsa oint effortof thecity;1;;l." ffi;i;;itate Fairof rexasback n 1963andwascalled heAge of Steamut r.rr*; jti"ti, try""a that heMuseum itsonwasdedicatedfor thatpurpose y thes,t1te .air3nd h. a;ry oi Dullur' Any

certificate f occupancy ouldhavebeenobtained y either hestate-Fli, " tr" ritv at that ime. perhaps ou shourdeviewyour record.. r *outo also emindvou ,t ut tt. ,.uron ttrecity and hestite Fairturnedover heAge of Steamur.rr** to its volunt.r; ;tg;;ation in 1963was hat hecity and heStateFairhad ailedmiserablyn attempting" ;;;i;"[y.operate tle Ageoi sf3m,{t5eum' The irststeamocomotive;; ;i;;;F;itF"'r.,]'iiqtd,;t theTexaJ&Pacific#{r38'Dallas adpror-i:,i:,.T&p th#i;;il;;;^tn. io.ornotive rom Ju*ug. and nai..taint. After severalyears,he63g*ui'in u'.unify deterioratedtateasu,.ruit of Jxtensiveandalism' nd hecityelectedo simplyh;rh. locomotive nd ts ender ento thescrap ard n-1955'Under hevolunteer rganization,owkno^wn ,il M,rr.* of theAmericanRailroad,hecollection asflourished rrO ro*o Now, unfortuna[iy, t upptuls hat heCity of Dallas s intentupondestroyingheM;;e;; ,urt like how f destroyedheT&P 638.Again,if i t isthecity,sintentiontoshutdowntheMuseum'sfundraisingevent,pleasecallmeimmediater^tg;;"|ififfi.'ii"*"Y responsesroour.questionsaveonceagain atisfiedyou,andyou donot ntendo shutdown,h";;;l'please advisemeof that mmediatelylso'

Wil l iam

WilliamBrothertonFrom: WilliamBrothertonwilliam@brothertonlaw'com]Sent: Thursday'ebruary1'2010 :56PM

From: Caso, hrismailto:chris'caso@dallascityhall'com] dztIIa

EXHIBITA2122120r0


21/29

Page2 of 2

Sent: Thursday, ebruary1,20102:08PMTo: WilliamBrothertonSubject: File:110-0124 useumf theAmerican ailroad, OD .Wlliam, our records eflect hat your clienthas not obtaineda certificate f occupancy,a food servicepermitor a TABC caterer's ermit n advanceof the Dinnerand he Dinerevent hat t hasplannedortomorrowand Friday. Pleaseprovideconfirmationo me that these tems have beenobtainedby thecloseof business oday.Christopher. CasoSeniorAssistant ityAttorneyDallasCityAttorney's fficeDallas ityHall1500Maril la, m. DNDallas,IX 75201-6622DirectDial: 214) 70-3508Facsimile:21 ) 670-0622chris,[email protected]:his ommunications ntendednly or heuseof he ndividualr entityowhichit s addressedndmaycontainnformationha t sprivileged,onfidential,ndexemptromdisclosurenderapplicableaw. lf youarenot he ntendedecipient f his nformation,oY?re.notified

hatanyuse,dissemination,isiribution,r copyingf hecommunications strictly rohibited,nd equestedo reply ereto rnotify ender y other mmediate eans f themisdelivery'

2t22120r0


22/29

WilliamBrothertonFrom:Sent:To:Subject:I t 1 s n o tcons t rued

Caso,[email protected]]Friday, ebruary2,2010 :09PMWilliamBrothertonRE:File: 10-0124 useum f heAmerican ailroad.OD .t he C i t y ' s i n t en t i on t o shu t down t he even t . Howeve r , th is shou ld no t be- - + I r ^ / a . i f r r l - - ^ - 1 1 . i C q C e n C e j - h : t r r o r r r C l i o n f m a t r c n n f . i n l r a l - A A ^ ^ r r n \ 7 1 - h a n r a m i c a cD L l l E u r L y D q 9 9 u f s J u s l t g s L f r q L J v u ! u r r u l r L l r L q J u v r r u r r f u 9 L v v u u u p l , u ] l s p ! s r ! ! r J s J .

t hen

- - - - - O r i a i n a l M o q q a n c - - - - -F r o m : W i l l i a m B r o t h e r t o n I m a i l t o : w i ] - l i a m G b r o t h e r t o n l - a w . c o m lSen t : Th t u 2 / 1 , 1 / 201 , 0 4 : 55 PMT o : C a s o , C h r i sS u b j e c t : R E : F i I e : L 1 0 - 0 1 2 4 M u s e u mo f t h e A m e r i c a n R a i . l - r o a d , C O Dv .Chr i s : When you and I spoke las t week , I gave you a l l t he i n f o rm a t i on t ha t reso l - ved t heso -ca l - I ed i ssues t ha t you a re ra i s i ng aga in t oday . You adv i sed m e t hen t ha t the mat te rwas reso l ved . I f i nd i t appa l li ng t ha t you have chosen t o con t ac t m e on a snowy day j us tbe f o re t he M useum 's m a io r f und - ra i s i nq even t and essen t i a l l - v t h rea t en t o cance l t he even tYou t o l d m e when we f i r s t spoke t ha t you conduc t ed you rse l f in a p ro f ess i ona l m anne rTh i s conduc t i s ha rd l y p ro f ess i onaL . I f you in t end t o shu t down the M useum 's even t ,t eL l me so t ha t t he M useum can go ahead and cance l- and a t t em p t t o recoup som e o f i t sl - osses and t o so f t en t he b l ow t o t he 72 peop le who have pa id to pa r t . i c i pa t e in the "D inne ri n t h e D i n e r " e v e n t .

I w i l l r e i t e r a t e w h a t I t o l d y o u l - a s t w e e k . F u r t h e r , s i n c e y o u h a v e d i r e c t a c c e s s t o C i t yo f Da l l - as em p loyees , you cou l -d have con f i rm ed eas i l y wha t I 'm t e l - l - i ng you now in t h i s e -m: r . nha an . i ^ o f L i f e i s t he ca t e re r f o r the even t . They have the TABC perm i t . TheM useum has been conduc t i ng t hese even t s s i nce l - 997 w i t hou t eve r hav j -ng one p robJ -em . Thec i t y o f cou rse has been we l - I aware o f t hese even t s . I f you need t o v i s i t w i t h t hec a t e r e r , h e r n a m e i s S u e K o l l i n g e r a n d s h e c a n b e r e a c h e d a t 9 1 2 - 4 1 7 - l - 7 5 5 . f n r e g a r d s t ot he f ood se rv j - ce pe rm i t , t he pe rm i t num ber i s 42227 and was ob t a i ned t h rough t he Da l - I ash c a l , l . h d c n a r l - m c n l , I t m S U r e V O u c a n c o n f i r m t h a t a l s o ,

As f o r t he ce r t i f i ca t e o f occupancy , t h i s m a t t e r was i nves t i ga t ed by Da I l as em p loyee AnneHam i l t on . She t o l d Bob LaPre l J -e , t he p res i den t o f the M useum , t ha t no f u r t he r ac t i on wasrequ i - red by t he M useum . As I have to ld you on a num ber o f occas i ons , t he M useum was f i r s te s t a b l r s b e d a s a j o i n t e f f o r t o f t h e C i t y o f D a l l a s a n d t h e S t a t e E a i r o f T e x a s b a c k i nl -963 anc . was ca l - I ed t he Age o f S t eam M useum ; i n f ac t , t he i a i , ' 1 t ha t t he M useum s l t s on wasd e d i c a t e d f o r t h a t p u r p o s e b y t h e S t a t e F a i r a n d t h e C i t y o f D a L l - a s . A n y c e r t i f i c a t e o foccupancy wou ld have been ob t a i ned by e i t he r t he S t a t e Fa i r o r the c i ty a t t ha t t im e .Pe rhaps you shou ld rev i ew you r reco rds . I wou ld a l so rem ind you t ha t the reason t he c i t yand t he St a t e Fa i r t u rned ove r t he Age o f S t eam M useum o 1 t s vo l un t ee r o rgan i za t i on j -n1 9 6 3 w a s t h a t t h e c i t y a n d t h e S t a t e F a i r h a d f a i l e d m i s e r a b l y i n a t t e m p t i n g t o o r i g i n a l l yope ra t e t he Age o f S t eam M useum . The f i r s t s t eam locom ot i ve to go in t o Fa i r Pa rk , i n1 - 9 4 9 , w a s t h e T e x a s & P a c i f i c # 6 3 8 . D a l l a s h a d p r o m i s e d T & P t h a t i t w o u l - d p r o t e c t t h el -ocom o t i ve f rom dam age and m a in t a i n i t . A f t e r seve ra f yea rs , che 538 was in a heav i l yde t e r i o ra t ed s t a t e as a resu l t o f ex t ens i ve vanda l - i sm , and t he c i t y e l -ec t ed t o s im p l y havet he l - ocom o t i ve and i t s t ende r sen t t o the sc rap ya rd i n 1955 . Unde r t he vo f un t ee ro rgan i za t i on , now known as t he M useum of t he Am er i can Ra i l r oad . t he co l f ec t i on hasf l n r r r i e h a A r n r l ^ r o w n . N O w , u n f o r t u n a t e l y , i t a p p e a r S t h a t t h e C i t y o f D a l l a s i s i n t e n tupon des t roy i ng t he M useum , m uch l i ke how i t des t royed t he T&P 638 .

n - ^ i - i : ! : ^ t h e r : i t v r s . in t e n t i o nV d r l r r a l I L I 5 L r r u u r L Jc a l f m e i m m e d i a t e l y a t 9 ' 7 2 - 3 I ' 7 - 8 1 0 .- ^ ! r ^ r ^ r , . ^ , , ^ n d r r n r r d n n n f i n t e n d5 d L ! D ! I Y U y v u r a r r u y v q u v I l v L f I lt o s h u t d o w n t h e M u s e u m ' s f u n d r a i s i n g e v e n t , p l e a s e

T f m r r r F s n o n q e s t o \ / o l r r c r r r e s t i o n s h a r r e o n r : e a o a i nt o shu t down the even t , p l ease adv j - se m eI


23/29

' i m m a d i : f a l \ / t I c ^

W i I l i a m

F r o m : C a s o , C h r i s [ m a i l t o : c h r i s . c a s o G d a ] f a s c i t y h a l f . c o m lS e n t : T h u r s d a y , F e b r u a r y 1 - 1 , 2 0 1 0 2 : 0 8 P MTo : Wi l l i am Bro t he r t onS u b i e c t : F i l e : L 1 0 - 0 1 2 4 M u s e u mo f t h e A m e r i c a n R a i l r o a d , C O Dv

Wi l - l - i am , ou r reco rds re f l ec t t ha t you ro f occupancy , a food se rv i ce pe rm i t o rthe Dinner and the Diner event that i tP l -ease p rov i de con f i rm a t i on to m e t ha tc l o s e o f b u s i n e s s t o d a v .

c l - i en t has no t ob t a i ned a ce r t i f i ca t ea TABC ca t e re r ' s pe rm i t i n advance o fhas p lanned f o r t om or row and F r i day .t hese i t em s have been ob t a i ned bv t he

t ^ h r i s . t - n h e r , T - C a s oS e n i o r A s s i s t a n t C i t y A t t o r n e Yn - l l - ^ ^ . 1 f . , l f f a r n o r r l e o f f i n eu d I J d D u r L y n L L U ! r r c J

I - ) : l 1 a e C i f r r F l : l I

1 5 0 0 M a r i l l a , R m . 7 D ND a I l a s , T X 1 5 2 0 1 ' - 6 6 2 2D i r e c t D i a I : ( 2 L 4 ) 6 7 0 - 3 5 0 8F a c s i m i l e : ( 2 I 4 ) 6 1 0 - 0 6 2 2c h r i s . c a s o G d a l l a s c i t y h a l l . c o m

CONFI DENTI AL I TYNOTI CE: Th is com m un i ca t i on i s i n t ended on l y f o r t he use o fthe i nd i v i -dua l o r en t i t y to wh i ch i t i s add ressed and m ay con t a j -ni n f o rm a t i on t ha t i s p r i v i l eged , cc " f i den t i a f , and exem pt f rom d i sc l -osu reunde r app l i cab le l aw . I f you a re no t t he i n t ended rec i p i en t o f t h i si n f o r m a t i o n , y o u a r e n o t i f i e d t h a t a n y u s e , d i s s e m i n a t i o n , d i s t r i b u t i o n ' o rcnn r r ina n f f he r : om m un i ca t ion i s s t r i c t t y p roh ib i t ed , and reques t ed t o rep l ye v y f r r r Y v -h e r e f o o r n o t i f v q c n c l e r l r r r o t h e r im m ed i -a t e m e a n s o f t h e m i s d e l i v e r y .l r 9 ! s L v v ! r r v u r ! i v v l r u v ! v J


24/29

awsuitKeptA-Rollin: City'sAbout o StopPaying ... http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfai n museum

. I, l i l ' ; ) l ' i r ' : ,' : r ' { iDaltasNewsBlog

RESTAUMNTS BARS CLUBS CALENDAR BESTOF CLASSIFIED PROTOTTONS TH EADS

Nasher Centerrs MostFamous SculptureTalksa Walk for a YearWhat Lies BeneathLemmon Avcnue \rVhcreIt Tops Turtle Creek

In OakCliff, MakingSure l(iest Park Gets ItsWPA Past Restored

Train Museum Lawsuit Kept A-Rollin': CiW'sAbout to Stop Paying For Water, PowerBy Robert Wilonsky in NewsYou CanActually Usc,ArtuallyI called couucil member and EconomicDevelopmentCommittee chair RonNatinsky late last week about the do*'rrtownparking study agenda tern, which thecouncil didn't get arountl to discussingyesterday. An hour was spent nstead ontalking about how to create a revolvingfuucl from which to make loaus to sntallSrmtht'ru lallas bnsiuesses.) henNatins$ called birck yesterday, hough, wewound up talkiug about - what else? - th ec:iS/solgoiug legal battle with the Nluseumof the Anericau Railroacl, which the citywants out of Fair Park by August r.It was Natinsky who said late last monththat the city has "been paying their electricbill for 38 years"; he said yesterclayhe freeride euds his week. First Assistant City

Wed.,Feb. 172o1o@ 9:1oAM

Altcr ley Chris Bowers confirms this: He tells Unfair Park tbat a notice will be sentio tiiil museum "within the next few days" notifying it that the city's about to cut offthe electricity. Also contaiued within the note, a warning that t he city's shutting offwater service - which, as t turns out, Dallas has also been palng for decadeswithout reimbursementfrom the museum."We're going to give them advance notice so theywill havean opportunityto notifothe utilities companies and have servicescontinued," Bowerssays. Some haveportrayeclus as being mean, but if we were mean we would not be giving themadvancenotice."Matter offact, Bowers sa1s, hroughout the ongoing back-and-forth with museumofficials, who said two yearsago they were moving to Frisco, the city of Dallas hasahvaysprovided them with adr'anceuotice. He says hey were old the city wastiling its iuiur)ctiou long befbre attorneys headed o the courthonse u late January;ancl, 3owerssays, hey rvere okl last week that TexasAlcoholic BeverageCornmissionand city heirlth departnlent inspectors would be paying them a visit touake sure he museum could esallv holcl ts aruual I)inn cr n tho Dincr last

-;i:i;{)P ntogsonly

MostRecen.t (i)nrnrented ViewedU.S. Supreme (burt DrownsCity of Dallas's Hopes orTakiug Water From NechesRiverIletore You [hr.r Re-lnstallWalking lo the Sfty, YouMust First Dc-lnstailNasher'sSculpturt:Making l.,emouirde ut ofLemmon.Ave.F'riendsof Oak Cliff ParksConcelneclCouncil WllDernil Long-PlannedWPAPergola RedoThe Big Red Glove OffersUpdates on Fair Park's"Maior Dallas llvent" (OrNot) alcl Citv Corur;ril'sRcqnesl for u irricfing lrronrOncor

ilIore Itccent Entries..

f- weektyl- Musicf- Prcnotionsl* piningf,. Eventsf* DallasAfterDark

subsribe'E-rr,l"ireJoieis

Slideshows

dztIza

EXHIBITC,

Ishi and illissile nt'l'rees

Friday and Saturday nights.

2122/20102:52


25/29

awsuitKept City'sAbout o StopPaying http//blogs.alasobserver.com/unfairpaW 01002 rain-museu

nonprofit," he said at the end ofJanuary, "and it's tough to raise funds in thiseconomy." Bowers says he city has earned that's not necessarily rue: "We'veheard they raise $roo,ooo every ime they hold their Thomas the Train event, analthey do have other funrl-raising efforts. I woultl hope they would have somemoneyavailableto move."But if not, he says, "we'll explore our options if and when we get there, and I thinkwe will have some. I hope we'll have a court decisiou well before August I so we canfigure out what our options are. We are not seekinga court order that they go toFrisco. We're seekinga court order they get off our property. They keep alkingabout the cost ofmoving to Frisco, but we know they have an agreement o keepsome of their cars a couple ofblocks away. When we brought that up they saidthere'sno more spacewhatsoever. We ust want them off city property.":.Related content

More About...Michael BowersChris EowersRon NatinskyFriscoArts, Entertainment,and Med ia

b .a

Autorama'Ibrns So at I.'airPark

Greary Burgers and PrettySunsets

Mole Slideshows>>Twrttcr U-pdates

U.S.SupremeCourt drownsCity of Dallas's hopes ortaking water from NechesRiver http: //bit.\ylaBKpSG6 minuGs goRT @DCqAtNight Detailsabout @NXgS's reeFlaming Lips/Midlake showgetting moved out ofdowntown Dentonhttp: //bit.ly/a ggLxA a dalsagoLocal filmmaker Clay Lifordpreparesto beam hisbuzzed-about "Earthling" toSXSW http : /bit.ly/b6tLWj3 days go

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26/29

AF'FIDAVITSTATEOFTEXASCOLINTYOF DENTON

BEFORE ME, the undersignedNotary Public, on this day personally appearedRobertLaPrelle,who first being duly swom according o law on his oath deposedand said:

'oMy name is Robert LaPrelle. I am the President and CEO of the Museum of theAmerican Railroad ("Museum"), Defendantand Counter-Plaintiff herein. I am over 21 yearsofage and am fully competent o makethis affidavit. I havepersonalknowledgeof the facts statedherein, and hey are all true and correct.oolhave been with the Museum for over 20 years. Ever since I have been with theMuseum,we have operatedunder a mutual agreementwith the City of Dallas and the State Fair

of Texas. Under that agreement, he Museum has been charged with the responsibility ofmaintaining all of the railroad locomotivesand rolling stock, in addition to maintaining the sitethat was dedicatedby the City of Dallas for exhibiting our collection. Either the City of Dallasor the StateFair of Texas hasalwayspaid our electricity, gasand water. Within the last 20 yearsor more, the City of Dallas has beenpaying the utilities. The StateFair collected much of ourrailroad rolling stock and locomotives, and quitclaimed everything to us in 1990 withoutreservation. We have always made all of our exhibits available for viewing by the public, andever since I have been with the Museum, we have continuously provided many educationalprograms or the citizens of Dallas and DISD schoolchildren."Dallas City Councilman Ron Natinsky has told me on a number of occasions hat he

wants the Museum to move out of Fair Park. The reason he gave me was that the State Fairwantedadditional parking spaces. The City of Dallas is now trying to force the Museum off ofthe dedicatedsite, by filing a lawsuit claiming that the Museum is trespassingand is a nuisance.Theseallegations n the lawsuit arecompletely false. The Museum is attempting o raise moneyto move to a new site in Frisco, Texas. The Museum has receivedno money from Frisco, andtire Frisco site requires considerablepreparation, rack installation. and a switch installed fromthe BNSF mainline. The City of Dallas, through RonNatinsky and the city attorney's office, hasdemanded hat the Museum move from the Fair Park site by August 1, 2010. I have told RonNatinsky on a number of occasions hat the Museum could not move by August 1,2010, but thatwe would be willing to agree o move by August l,20lL The City responded y filing itslawsuit."In order to finance the move,and to help pay for the maintenancecostof the collection,the Museum conducts various fundraisers. On February 13, 2010, we conductedsuch afundraiser called "Dinner in the Diner". Earlier that week, the City of Dallas sent healthinspectorsand code enforcementpersonnel o review our proceduresor conductinga fundraiser,which involved serving alcohol and a freshly prepareddinner. Everything was catered. TheMuseum had been conducting its "Dinner in the Diner" event for approximately 15 years and

$$$

AFFIDAYIT OF ROBERTLaPRELLE- Page


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therehad neverbeena problempreviously.Oneof the so-called oncerns y codeenforcementwas that the Museumdid not have a certificateof occupancyor the DedicatedPropertyandCollection. Any suchcertificateof occupancywould havebeenobtainedby the StateFair ofTexasback in 1947. Nevertheless,he City of Dallas sent Health Department fficials andarmedTABC offrcers o our 36-person vent. Even hough he eventwas catered, personallywas cited by the Health Departmentor smokedsalmonappetizers eing severaldegreestoowam". A copy of the citation s attachedo this affidavit. Further, waspersonally ivenawamingcitationby the TABC officers,and he Museumwasunable o servewine. Ourpatronswereunderstandablypsetat this bully tacticby the City of Dallas.

"Theharassmenty the City of Dallascontinueso grow. Utilities personnel avecomeout o theMuseum, n preparation f cuttingoff ourutilities. Mr. Natinskyhas hreatenedo notonly terminate ur utilities, but attempto recoverpastpayments f utilities from theMuseum.Suchactionswould destroyhe Museum,as he Museums a nonprofitwith limited resources.Further t would endangerontinuingo make heMuseum ollectionavailable o the citizensofDallas and ts schoolchildren,nd we would be forced o discontinue fferingour educationalprograms. f the City of Dallascontinuests actionsof harassment,he Museumcollectionwillbe irreparably armedand destroyed.Further,by the City of Dallas' actions,he Museum sbeing orced o usemonieshat havebeenbudgetedor moving he Museum o Frisco. Finally,the awsuitby the City of Dallashasput a cripplingdamper n fund raisingefforts."

FURTHERAFFIANT SAYETHNOT.

-A/LRobert LaPrelle

nSUBSCRIBEDAND SWORN TO BEFORE ME on 1y,s Lv'day of February,2010,

to certify which my hand andseal of office.

PrintedName andDateCommissionExpires:NotaryPublic, Stateof Texas

Ittf,Gor.|ffirvooilr||lExErDil

AFFIDAWT OF ROBERTLUPRELLE Page2


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Railroad Museum's Response to City's Lawsuit

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Transcript of Railroad Museum's Response to City's Lawsuit