Airport noise lawsuit summary judgment hearing

A summary judgment hearing was scheduled to take place Friday, Feb. 2 in the Hennepin County Government Center, with the Honorable Judge Aldrich presiding.

Summary of the case: After years of waiting for promised noise remediation, area homeowners turned to the courts in September 2005 for a ruling that the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) should live up to its promises.

Minneapolis and Richfield homeowners are now proceeding as a class of plaintiffs, seeking fulfillment of the MAC’s promise to provide sound insulation.

he MAC denies that any such promise ever existed. The proposed class, represented by Minneapolis law firm Zimmerman Reed, includes the owners of at least 6,300 affected homes around the Minneapolis airport. The homeowners request that the MAC meet the commitments it made in 1996 to insulate homes in the 60-64 DNL noise contours as part of the remediation program adopted by the MAC after the Legislative decision was made to expand the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport (MSP). If the plaintiffs are successful at the summary judgment hearing, a trial is set to begin in early May 2007.