SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Two developers who competed for the right to host Springfield’s new courthouse have filed a joint lawsuit challenging the state’s selection of 125 Liberty Street as the site of the Roderick Ireland Regional Justice Center.

USPB JV, owned by Jeb Balise, and Springfield Tower Square LLC, owned by Dinesh Patel, filed the lawsuit Thursday against the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) and developer Liberty Junction.

The lawsuit aims to prevent the state from finalizing the lease of the proposed courthouse site pending a judicial review, according to a statement.

“This is not an effort to stop Springfield from getting a new courthouse. It is an effort to prevent the Commonwealth from locking taxpayers into a 40-year lease before serious questions about the award are reviewed,” Balise said in a statement.

Among the concerns cited by Balise and Patel is an alleged undisclosed conflict involving CoJo Partners’ Conan Harris and John Barros. Barros was appointed interim Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) while proposals were being evaluated. The MCCA owns and operates the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

The plaintiffs also question whether Liberty Junction “demonstrated sufficient site control for the proposed project location,” and allege “failures by DCAMM to apply procurement requirements consistently across bidders,” according to a statement.

“A nearly $2 billion, 40-year commitment has to be built on a foundation of trust and transparency. We’re asking the court to press pause so Springfield gets the fair, honest process it deserves,” Patel said in a statement.

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Western Mass News will continue to follow this story and will have more information as it becomes available.

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