Columbia wins nearly $54 million judgment against CenturyLink

Columbia is getting a huge payout from a lawsuit involving CenturyLink.

The city’s attorney said Thursday a judge ordered the telecommunications company to pay $53.8 million to the city. The suit, filed in 2014, says Century Link had underpaid on business license taxes since 2007. The judgment amount includes unpaid taxes, interest, penalties, and lawyer fees.

Century Link will also have to pay the city of Joplin a little more than $1.1 million as part of the same judgment.