MACON, Ga. — When South Carolina-based Stevens Aerospace and Defense System announced they were leasing a hangar at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport, the Macon-Bibb Industrial Authority hoped it would help the local economy take off.
Instead, it landed Stevens in the middle of a $117,000 lawsuit.
The company, which maintains Bombardier and Gulfstream jets, leased a 47,575-square-foot hangar and some office space at the airport from 2019 to 2022.
When the deal was first inked, Facebook posts from Macon-Bibb County, the industrial authority and the company touted Stevens’ new physical — and financial — footprint in Macon.
County leaders pointed to Stevens' million-dollar investment in the local economy, along with the 150 jobs the company expected to bring. The average pay was $28 an hour.
However, the story of their Macon expansion ended on a more somber – and litigious – note.
After Stevens declined to renew its lease on July 21, 2021, the industrial authority claimed Stevens didn’t uphold their end of the bargain, arguing Stevens failed to properly maintain the hangar.
In fact, they listed “23 problem areas,” including HVAC and fire alarm systems that were particularly crucial, an inspection report found. They also alleged that the company took “certain items” belonging to the authority.
The suit claims Stevens agreed to accept the airport's North Hangar “as is." In the lease, “as is” was bolded and in quotation marks. The industrial authority argues Stevens was also responsible for “all maintenance costs,” ranging from exterior maintenance to critical building systems.
Regardless, the MBCIA paid nearly $32,000 for air conditioning and electrical work, just over $12,000 in HVAC repairs and almost $20,000 on inspection reports and environmental assessments after Stevens moved out, court filings show.
They also say Stevens had only paid part of the $100,000 non-renewal fee. Stevens argued their security deposit would cover parts of the fee so they only paid $81,000. The MBCIA disagrees.
All told, the industrial authority claims Stevens is still on the hook for just over $117,000 from the company’s “breach of its Lease obligations,” and they are seeking interest and attorney’s fees, too.
But Stevens Aerospace, represented by Macon attorney William Larsen, disputes essentially every single one of MBCIA’s claims in a filing from Dec. 28, 2023. They say they did not breach their contract or operate “in bad faith.”
Larsen did not reply to 13WMAZ’s request for an interview.
Stevens’ response essentially denies all of MBCIA's claims on the grounds they misinterpreted, cherry-picked or inaccurately described core documents such as the leasing agreement.
Their filings instead say the exhibits attached to MBCIA’s filings “speak for itself.” That could open up the door for clashing interpretations of the lease and other exhibits underpinning the company and the industrial authority’s agreement.
Now, the two sides are set to battle it out in court to find out who’s on the hook for what, and whose interpretation of the lease is most in line with the law.