Now it looks like their lawyer, Ken Davies, had another reason for not revealing the identities of those funding his lawsuit against the city: They no longer exist.

Sources say Davies initially got small donations from anti-expansion forces for the lawsuit, but that these dried up long ago. After the unpaid expenses in the case ran over $15,000, Davies reportedly decided to continue fighting the case without pay. Our guess is that the reason is the publicity it brought to his one-man firm.

An appeal of a lower court ruling in the case was heard by the NC Court of Appeals in February. In it, Davies argued that the input of area residents played too small a part in the Charlotte City Council's unanimous decision to rezone part of the mall property to make way for the new development. The suit challenges the process the city uses to rezone property.

Davies did not return a phone call for comment.