Idaho Supreme Court sides with developer in Teton County case
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BOISE — The Idaho Supreme Court recently ruled on a dispute that has stretched over almost two decades.
In January, the Supreme Court heard the appeal of Teton Creek Resort, LLC, of Wyoming, and Teton County.
The case arises from a dispute regarding a condominium development and dates back to 1995. That’s when a lot in Driggs was approved for Planned Unit Development with up to 16 standalone condominiums.
In 1995, TCR’s lot owned by TCR, LLC, the developer of Teton Creek Resor, was approved for Planned Unit Development with 16 standalone condominiums. However, a dispute arose in 2020 when county officials refused to record the plat, claiming TCR hadn’t submitted necessary documents.
A legal battle ensued, with TCR seeking relief through the courts.
TCR asked the courts to require the county to record the plat. Furthermore, it asked the court to declare the county had violated Idaho Code Title 55 Chapter 15 (the Idaho Condominium Property Act).”
The court upheld TCR’s complaint, declaring the county’s refusal to record the condominium plat a violation of the Idaho Condominium Property Act. The commissioners “didn’t have a valid reason” for doing so, the justices said.
Breach of contract
Although TCR filed this suit in 2020, litigation surrounding the development of the Teton Creek Resort area began when local environmental groups apparently tried to stop the development of the resort by bringing a lawsuit against it.
The Teton County Board of County Commissioners, the Ad Hoc Committee Against Teton Creek Resort, Citizens For Teton Valley, the Community Association for Responsible Planning and TCR reached a settlement agreement in 1996.
In the settlement, the parties agreed to never “raise any claim or objection of any manner whatsoever to the sale, development, zoning, land use plan or any other matter in any way arising from development or attempts to sell and develop the Teton Creek Resort Project,” according to court filings.
In its lawsuit, TCR claimed Teton County had breached the 1996 settlement agreement by refusing to record the plat, effectively blocking the project from moving forward.
The county filed its own motion for summary judgment in response, asking for TCR’s claims for breach of contract to be dismissed.
The court concluded that genuine issues remained in regard to the question of a breach of contract.
The case was remanded back to the district court for further proceedings. Additionally, the Idaho Supreme Court has granted a petition to rehear this case, based on some conflicting language in the opinion. The hearing will be held in June.