Hideout Resolves First of Four Legal Disputes With Mustang Development in $600,000 Settlement

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor

Hideout, Utah —

The Town of Hideout has reached a $600,000 settlement with Mustang Development LLC, resolving the first of four pending lawsuits between the town and its master developer and ending a long-running dispute over impact fees and infrastructure reimbursement while three additional cases remain active in Wasatch County court.

The settlement, approved in November 2025, brings to a close litigation that traced back to Hideout’s earliest years as a newly incorporated town. The agreement ends the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled, and resolves all disputed payments owed through Sept. 30, 2025, while preserving the town’s reimbursement obligations going forward.

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Mustang Seeks $352,000 in Legal Fees After Four-Year Battle With Town of Hideout

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor, Hideout Comment | October 28, 2025

HIDEOUT, Utah — The Town of Hideout faces a hefty new legal bill after losing a four-year court battle with Mustang Development LLC, one that could cost the town more than it spends on all legal services in an average year.

Mustang filed a motion this month asking a Wasatch County judge to order the town to pay $352,975 in legal fees and costs. The request follows an Oct. 3 ruling that declared the developer the prevailing party in its dispute with the town over development rights under a 2019 master development agreement.

If approved, the payment would exceed more than two and a half times Hideout’s entire 2024 legal budget of about $137,000, according to town financial records. It would also rival the combined annual cost of the town’s engineering and police contracts. That figure does not include the hundreds of thousands of dollars Hideout has already spent on its own lawyers during the case.

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Judge Affirms Mustang’s Development Rights, Revives Claims Against Former Hideout Mayor

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor
Editor

WASATCH COUNTY, Utah (Oct. 7, 2025) — A Utah judge has handed Mustang Development LLC a significant win in its years long battle with the Town of Hideout, affirming the company’s right to nearly 2,000 homes under a master development agreement and allowing damages claims against former Mayor Philip Rubin to move forward.

Fourth District Judge Jennifer Mabey ruled Oct. 3 that Mustang is entitled to seek attorney fees after the town conceded its original position on density was wrong. The court also granted Mustang permission to file a third amended complaint, reviving claims that Rubin acted in his personal capacity when he allegedly conspired with a town planner to spread false information about the developer’s rights.

Mustang is pursuing more than $100 million in damages, claiming the misinformation campaign killed a $9.5 million land sale and devalued property throughout Hideout. A trial date has not been set.

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Mayor confirms water right shortfall; setups an independent working group

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor

Mayor Phil Rubin has confirmed a water right deficit liability exists, as we reported.

Rubin shared with the Town’ council that he has set up an independent working group made of experts to look for ways to procure water rights, for the already approved 1,800 or so units, which he contends were approved prior to his first administration without actually having the water rights to support it.

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Hideout sued for $10 million for refusing Golden Eagle Certificates of Occupancy

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Miki Mullor

By MIki Mullor

The legal drama over Golden Eagle reached a new level today when Mustang Development LLC, the developer of Golden Eagle, sued the Town of Hideout over its refusal to issue certificates of occupancy (COs) in Golden Eagle.

Mustang claims it suffered damages of at least $10 million dollars as a result of lost sales caused by the Town’s actions, including harm to relationships with individuals that have purchased lots, lost past and future sales and harm to its reputation in the Summit and Wasatch County real estate communities.

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Hideout rolls back water meter fees, will issue refunds

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor

Hideout Town council has rolled back the increase in water meter connection fees it enacted in March 2022. The Hideout Comment‘s June 19 report exposed the possibly illegal aspect of that increase.

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Judge hands Hideout another loss in its costly war on Golden Eagle

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor

In a June 9 ruling, District Court Judge Jennifer Mabey handed the Town of Hideout another legal loss in the court case regarding the denial of building permits in Golden Eagle on the basis of infrastructure reasons.

The court ruling leaves the Town no more reasons to wholesale deny building permits in Golden Eagle
It is estimated the Town spent around $250,000 on this failed legal fight, and missed hundreds of thousands more in building permit fees.
The Town seems poised to continue its war on Golden Eagle, now denying Certificate of Occupancies, on largely the same infrastructure reasons.
Higher property taxes are expected, as the Town now runs a $250,000 annual deficit.

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BREAKING NEWS: Judge rules against the Town of Hideout over Golden Eagle building permits

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor

This morning Judge Jennifer Mabey of the 4th District Court issued a temporary restraining order barring the Town of Hideout from relying on four of the five reasons it has been using to deny building permits in Golden Eagle. The ruling on the fifth reason was deferred until at least May 19.

The ruling deals a major setback to the Town which has been insisting it is only trying to enforce the law as written, spending so much on legal fees, that it is now expecting a $300,000 to a 500,000 budget deficit next year.

Mustang Development LLC, the developer of Golden Eagle, contended that the Town was abusing it’s permitting power to pressure Mustang on a defamation lawsuit it brought two years ago against Mayor Phil Rubin personally – an argument the judge seem to agree with.

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Court decision moved to May 1

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor

The court rescheduled the ruling on Mustang’s motion for a TRO to May 1 at 11 am.

“Although the Court has spent significant time considering the pleadings and evidence presented by the parties’, it is not quite prepared to render its decision on the pending motion. Accordingly, with the Court’s apologies to the parties for the delay and any inconvenience that may result, the oral ruling is continued to Monday, May 1, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.” – wrote Judge Mabey in the scheduling order.

Judge will give her decision on Golden Eagle tomorrow

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Miki Mullor

By Miki Mullor

Analysis

On Monday, April 24, at 8:30, Judge Mabey will give an oral ruling on the building permits dispute between Mustang Development LLC, the developer of Golden Eagle, and the Town of Hideout.

The judge is expected, for the first time, to decide which of the reasons used by the Town to deny building permits in Golden Eagle, are valid, and which are not.

Indirectly, this decision may have significant impact on the Town’s finances (already projected to be in a $300,000 – 500,000 deficit), if the Town continues to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees or possibly be liable for future damages to land owners.

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