JEFFERSON CITY — On Friday afternoon, Cole County Judge Joseph Shetler ruled that friends of Lawrence Renn Jr. did not have standing in a lawsuit that attempted to halt the sale of Renn’s 178 acres of farmland in Elston, MO.
According to Renn’s Trust at Hawthorn Bank the land was originally supposed to be leased to Cole County to become a memorial park. However, the County chose to decline the offer in 2024 citing insufficient funds to develop and maintain the park.
Friends of Renn said the County was never offered money to develop and maintain the park until after the Commissioners chose to decline the offer, and that the sum given was much lower than what they believe is in the Trust.
“We believe that his intentions were swept under the rug with minimal effort to really give them a chance to see the light of day,” said Chuck Steck, a plaintiff named in the case.
The ruling from Judge Shetler allows the auction of the land to continue on Feb. 7, at 10 a.m.
Hawthorn Bank’s main argument in the courtroom was that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing in the case as they were removed from the Trust after beneficiary payments were made.
The attorney for the friends of Renn pushed back, citing the trust never followed the way it was written. The Trust stipulated a three-person advisory committee with at least two friends of Renn on it. This was never created.
The friends of Renn’s attorney argued that had the committee been formed it would give at least two of the plaintiffs legal standing in the case.
Hawthorn Bank’s attorney argued that the committee would have only been created after the county agreed to lease the land.
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The sale of Renn’s land is set for Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.
date: 2026-02-07 16:17:00
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