There’s always drama with this thing.
A Grimes County District Judge has ruled the the Texas Renaissance Festival must be sold, ending a two-year legal battle over the popular festival.
Judge Gary W. Chaney of the 506th state District Court issued the ruling Wednesday following several days of testimony last week in the civil case filed in August 2023. Chaney also said the festival’s owner must pay over $23 million in damages to cover money lost by the buyer during the dispute, including attorney’s fees.
The original lawsuit, filed by RW Lands Inc., says Texas Stargate, Inc., Royal Campground, Inc., and Texas RF, Inc. agreed to purchase the Renaissance property, assets and nearby property for $60 million.
However, the suit claims festival founder George Coulam and his company did not provide the required documents for the sale, and the plaintiffs learned on April 7, 2023, that Coulam would not close the sale on April 8, 2023, as planned.
“Indeed, the August 8, 2023 closing date came and went without (Coulam) complying with their closing obligations,” the suit states.
In a response filed with the courts on Sept. 11, 2023, Coulam denied the allegations and claimed the plaintiffs had not complied with their obligations to close the sale.
“Defendants deny that either party was ready to close on August 8, 2023. Defendants deny that there was a valid contract on August 8, 2023, as all parties expressed the need to alter the contract provisions to provide more specificity and clarity,” court documents state.
I don’t think I knew that there was supposed to be a sale, or that there was litigation over the fact that there was a disagreement about there being a sale. I did know that there’s been some ongoing drama over who might take over from founder and reigning monarch George Coulam, who can fairly be described as “a piece of work”. We’ll see what happens next. CultureMap has more.