A property dispute between the Finger Lakes Drive-In and the Cayuga Nation is headed to trial after a judge denied key motions from both sides in the case, according to reporting by The Citizen.
In a decision issued June 4, Judge Darius Lind ruled that a 2014 lease granting the drive-in access to neighboring property at 1044 Clark Street Road remains valid through at least June 1, 2034.
The dispute centers on a 40-acre parcel purchased by the Cayuga Nation’s leadership council in 2023. The following year, the nation blockaded access to the property, which the drive-in had been using for its entrance and portions of its parking area. The blockade delayed the theater’s 2024 season while owner Paul Meyer developed an alternate traffic route.
According to The Citizen, the nation has argued that the lease is invalid and unenforceable. However, Lind determined that the lease remains in effect and found there are unresolved factual questions regarding whether the nation’s leadership council knew, or should have known, about the lease when it purchased the property.
The judge noted that Meyer has openly used the property since 2014 and that portions of the drive-in, including its entrance and movie screen, are visible from Clark Street Road, according to the ruling.
As a result, Lind denied the nation’s request for a judgment holding Meyer and the Finger Lakes Drive-In liable for trespassing and rejected its effort to have them removed from the property.
At the same time, the judge sided with the nation on questions involving the lease’s renewal provisions. Lind described those provisions as ambiguous and denied a motion from Meyer and the drive-in seeking a permanent injunction that would have barred the nation from interfering with their use of the property.
Lind concluded that questions regarding the nation’s status as a good-faith purchaser and the interpretation of the lease renewal terms must be resolved at trial. A pretrial conference has been scheduled for July 1.
In a statement provided to The Citizen, the Cayuga Nation’s leadership council said it intends to appeal portions of the ruling.
The property dispute is one of several legal conflicts involving Meyer and the Cayuga Nation. The parties have also been involved in federal litigation connected to the now-closed Pipekeepers smoke shop in Montezuma. A jury reached a verdict in that case in December, though questions regarding damages and attorney fees remain before federal court.
