City’s Corrupt Attempt To Stymie Developer’s Businesses Thwarted
By Amy Wuliger | December 7, 2025
THE CLIENT: Cleveland Area Businessman
Wuliger & Wuliger helps local businessman get compensation for lost opportunities.
THE PROBLEM: City officials arbitrarily applied zoning laws to unfairly prevent the client from developing his property
Our client, a westside entrepreneur and developer, owned several parcels of property that he was attempting to develop into viable businesses – including a motel that would be in competition with a business owned by the mayor’s family – but the city arbitrarily applied zoning restrictions to block development. The dispute was initially resolved with a consent judgment that required the city to “act in good faith” with respect to all future permit and zoning applications. Two years later, though, our developer was again blocked. We filed suit against the city for breaching the agreed judgment entry.
WHAT HAPPENED: A 15-year legal battle ensued, ultimately ending in a major settlement for the client
Bill Wuliger successfully tried the case to a jury, securing a verdict of $2.5 million, but the judge reduced the award, reasoning that “lost profits” were unavailable for a new business without any financial track record. We successfully appealed that ruling and the case was remanded for a new trial on the amount of damages. On remand, the parties agreed to submit the case to binding arbitration, but the arbitrators exceeded the scope of their referral by revisiting the underlying basis for the city’s liability – something that had already been decided in the developer’s favor. When the arbitrators returned an award of only $560,000, Amy Wuliger drafted the briefs that convinced the judge to toss their decision entirely – something that rarely happens in our civil justice system. Rather than facing a new trial, the city capitulated with a settlement.
THE OUTCOME: The client gets the compensation he deserves
We turned a $560,000 arbitration award into a $15 million settlement.
THE TAKEAWAY: Wuliger & Wuliger left no stone unturned to achieve a successful outcome
After the City’s abuse of the zoning process left the developer with no way to monetize his investments, we pushed every available lever to maximize their client’s recovery. Not only did he ultimately receive a huge settlement, but the City finally agreed to let him develop his properties.