Knott v. Town of Northbridge

Plaintiff James M. Knott, Sr. (“Knott”), paid a total of $21,174.00 for two building permits issued by the defendant, Town of Northbridge (the ‘Town”). Based on nothing more than his personal opinion that the dollar amount of the permit fees was unreasonable, and without having first sought any available local, administrative or judicial determination of that issue, Knott filed this action in the Uxbridge District Court to recover the alleged “difference” between the permit fees charged and the “reasonable cost of issuing” the permits. The court allowed the Town’s Mass. R. Civ. P, Rule 12(b)…