Shadowbox Studios, LLC v. DeKalb County, Georgia (Data Center Moratorium Takings Suit)

Zoning & Land Use Filed
Date
August 5, 2026
Added to tracker
October 19, 2026
Court or forum
Superior Court of DeKalb County, Georgia
State
Georgia
Property type
Land/Development
Amount / scale
Lawsuit cites more than $30 million invested in the project and alleges the moratorium cut the property's value by as much as $200 million
Parties
Plaintiff: Shadowbox Studios, LLCPlaintiff: Henrico 183Defendant: DeKalb County, Georgia

Shadowbox Studios and affiliate Henrico 183 sued DeKalb County, Georgia on August 5, 2026, alleging the county's moratorium on new data-center applications unlawfully blocks a data center project on their roughly 200-acre site at 3600 International Park Drive, after planning staff had represented the use was permitted there. The suit seeks a declaration that the moratorium is invalid as applied to the property, permission to build, 'just compensation' for the alleged taking, and attorneys' fees.

Why it matters

The case tests whether informal planning-staff representations that a use is permitted can support a takings claim once a moratorium later blocks that same, already-represented project, a theory with growing appeal to developers caught by the nationwide wave of local data-center moratoria. Municipalities that rely on staff correspondence to manage developer expectations without clearly disclaiming legal effect may find that correspondence used against them once a freeze intervenes.

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Shadowbox Studios, the Atlanta-area production company behind films including Cocaine Bear, has sued DeKalb County, Georgia, alleging that a moratorium on new data center development unlawfully blocks a project the county had already told the company it could build. The lawsuit, filed August 5, 2026 by Shadowbox and an affiliated entity, Henrico 183, in DeKalb County Superior Court, asks a judge to declare the moratorium invalid as applied to the company's roughly 200-acre property at 3600 International Park Drive, to clear the way for construction, and to award just compensation for what the complaint characterizes as a violation of the company's property rights, along with attorneys' fees.

Case timeline · 3 entries Latest: September 9, 2026 — DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals affirms denial of Shadowbox's data center proposal, citing the pending suit

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