The borough wants to settle with Verizon in a federal lawsuit the company brought against the borough, but residents are fighting back.

Spring Lake, New Jersey, residents drew national attention last week as they stepped up their ongoing fight to keep Verizon 5G cell towers off the town's beachfront.

Fox Business "Mornings with Maria" featured a report and commentary on how all Spring Lake residents who attended an Aug. 25 city council meeting spoke out against the towers.

A Fox Business panel guest likened the local pushback against Verizon's towers to the widespread pushback against data centers, saying both can involve multi-year fights between local communities and companies.

On Nov. 8, 2024, the telecom giant sued Spring Lake in federal court in a bid to push its 5G tower plans through despite local resistance.

Now the borough wants to settle with Verizon to avoid the cost of ongoing litigation, according to attorney Joseph M. Carusone, who represents residents who intervened in the lawsuit.

"It's just not the right time to settle this," Carusone said. "We really even haven't started litigating this case yet. It hasn't gone to discovery."

Carusone, who spoke at the Aug. 25 city council meeting, said every resident who spoke was opposed to the towers.

Residents voiced concerns about possible health impacts of 5G wireless radiation, how the towers would negatively affect their property values and harm the boardwalk's aesthetics.

Kelley Badishkanian, a Spring Lake resident and grassroots organizer for Spring Lake Against 5G Towers, told The Defender she hopes the Spring Lake residents' efforts benefit other communities in New Jersey that will soon face the same battle.

"This fight with Verizon is not just about our little town. They're going to try to bully every single town across the Jersey Shore, all across New Jersey," she said.

Settlement would be premature since related federal and state cases are ongoing

Verizon's lawsuit against Spring Lake is one of several ongoing lawsuits in the area.

In May 2021, Verizon sued Belmar — a town roughly three miles from Spring Lake — in an attempt to install its towers on the town's boardwalk.

In September 2023, Verizon sued Monmouth County — where Belmar and Spring Lake are located — after realizing the land in question was under the county's jurisdiction and after county officials on Aug. 8, 2023, denied the company's project application.

Children's Health Defense's (CHD) Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) & Wireless team, which provided legal support to the Belmar residents in their ensuing legal battle, also is providing legal support to Spring Lake residents.