St. Charles Tower, Inc v. Robert Kurtz; Paul Phillips; David Geile; Lawrence J. Kettenbach; Mary

Before COLLOTON, GRUENDER, and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.

St. Charles Tower, Inc., filed suit against Franklin County, Missouri, and Franklin County’s Board of Zoning Adjustment after they declined to issue St. Charles Tower a conditional use permit necessary to construct a proposed cell-phone tower in Franklin County. St. Charles Tower alleged that the denial of the conditional use permit violated the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Before the case went to trial, the parties agreed to a consent judgment that required the issuance of the conditional use permit, as well as “any other permits necessary for [St. Charles Tower] to begin construction of its proposed facility.” After the district court entered the consent judgment, Robert Kurtz, Paul Phillips, and David Geile, trustees of a homeowners’ association that opposes construction of the tower (“Intervenors”), sought to intervene in the litigation in order to challenge the consent judgment on the grounds that it violated state law. The district court granted their motion to intervene but denied their motion to alter, amend, or vacate the consent judgment. The Interveners now appeal the district court’s adverse ruling on their motion for relief from the consent judgment. For the reasons set forth below, we reverse.