Hawthorn Bank asks judge to dismiss lawsuit over farmland auction
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Hawthorn Bank has asked a Cole County judge to toss out a lawsuit filed by a group last week that sought to block the land auction of a piece of land.
Gary Scheperle, Mark Knapp, Tony Porter, Steve Brandt, Gary Bemboom, Tony Brenneke and Charles Steck sued the bank on Friday, claiming that 178 acres in Elston was intended to be used as a public park by its former owner Lawrence Renn Jr.
The group claims the administrator of Renn's trust, Hawthorn Bank, was not being honest with the county on how much money the trust had when the commission discussed the issue in 2024. The lawsuit asks the judge to remove Hawthorn Bank as a trustee and to block an auction scheduled for Saturday.
In a motion filed on Thursday, Hawthorn Bank claimed that the group had no standing and that the two people who were named in the trust -- Mark Knapp and Gary Scheperle – had received their money and are no longer considered beneficiaries.
