After City declined to award Khan Bros. a new Taxicab Operating Agreement and granted exclusive Airport Taxicab Operating Agreements to other companies, Khan Bros. sued, alleging that a member of the City Council had accepted bribes from the other taxi companies in exchange for awarding them the exclusive agreements.
The court held that Khan Bros. lacked standing due to the fact that the decision by the Charlotte City Council to award the Taxicab Operating Agreements to the other taxi companies and to decline to award Khan a new Agreement was the result of the independent action of the Charlotte City Council, consistent with its legal authority, and acting within its reasonable discretion, to approve or deny the Agreements.
The alleged injury about which Khan Bros. complained —i.e., the economic losses flowing from the City Council’s decision not to award Plaintiff a new Taxicab Operating Agreement — was caused by the independent, legal and valid action of the Charlotte City Council and not by the improper actions of any Defendant.
See also, Universal Cab Co., Inc. v. City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Business Court – March 5, 2015 – Not Reported in S.E.2d – 2015 NCBC 22