A DeKalb County jury has ruled in favor of Smithfield Foods and Premium Standard Farms in a lawsuit in which the plaintiff alleged that odor from a PSF farm in Daviess County had created a nuisance that damaged his use and enjoyment of his farm.
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The jury took about 90 minutes to decide the case, filed in Daviess County by Vernon Hanes. Hanes had claimed that the Scott-Colby Farm in Daviess County, owned by the companies, had created a nuisance over an 11 1/2-year period.
“We are very pleased that the jury found that PSF’s Scott-Colby Farm did not create a nuisance over the eleven and half years covered in this lawsuit,” said Bill Homann, president of PSF. “This was our first opportunity to present our story to a jury from a rural area, where residents understand how food is raised and the kinds of odors that are experienced in everyday agriculture.”
The case was heard in DeKalb County on a change of venue from Daviess County. The trial lasted about two and one-half weeks.