CLAYTON, Mo. (CN) - A judge reinstated the mayor of suburban Ellisville, Mo., after the City Council ousted him in a dispute over a proposed Wal-Mart.
Ellisville, pop. 9,300, is a western suburb of St. Louis.
Mayor Adam Paul sued the city in April after it gave him the boot. Paul claimed the Council gave him the shove because he opposed a proposed Wal-Mart.
His opponents claimed Paul was removed because he violated the City Charter by contacting a resident-relocation expert who was hired by the Wal-Mart developer.
St. Louis Circuit Judge David Lee Vincent III on Monday reinstate Paul and returned the case to the City Council, which has three new members since the vote to remove Paul.
That leaves just two members on the council out of the five who voted to remove Paul, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Judge Vincent found that the council did not give Paul time to prepare a defense against an amended petition.
Wal-Marts have caused litigation all over the country, with opponents claiming they ruin local businesses that can't compete, and supports claiming they create jobs.
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