(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) and county officials over the closing of the Rockrimmon Library in 2024.
The lawsuit was brought forth by a number of community groups following the Dec. 1 closure of one of only two library locations on the west side of Colorado Springs. The lawsuit alleged that the City, the El Paso County Board of Commissioners, and especially the PPLD Board of Trustees, failed in their fiduciary duties and violated open meeting laws. The lawsuit also alleged that a library cannot be closed without a vote by the public.
On Monday, Aug. 4, PPLD sent and update, stating that the District Court of El Paso County granted the library district’s Motion for Summary Judgment on the one remaining claim, specifically PPLD’s alleged violation of the Open Meetings Law.
In May, PPLD said the District Court judge granted PPLD’s Motion to Dismiss all claims except for the Open Meetings Law claim, requesting that the plaintiffs and the District provide additional information before he would rule on it.
According to PPLD, “In granting the Motion for Summary judgment on this claim, the judge found that he did not have subject matter jurisdiction to review the Board decision not to renew the Rockrimmon Library lease, and that the undisputed evidence showed that PPLD had not violated the Open Meetings Law with respect to the October 2024 Board meeting where the decision was made.”
PPLD said as such, all claims against the City, County Board, and PPLD had been dismissed with prejudice, meaning the complaints cannot be brought before a district judge again.
FOX21 News has reached out to Integrity Matters, one of the nonprofits named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, for comment. This article will be updated when we hear back.
