Alabama Landfill Activists Seek Dismissal of Slander Suit

Four activists from one of Alabama’s poorest communities want a federal judge to dismiss a $30 million slander suit filed by Georgia companies that claim they were maligned by complaints about a landfill that accepted tons of coal ash from a Tennessee Valley Authority spill.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed court documents for the Perry County residents Thursday saying they’re only exercising their First Amendment rights in protesting Arrowhead Landfill.

They also argue that many claims cited by landfill owners Green Group Holdings and Howling Coyote LLC are simply posts on a Facebook page.

A landfill lawyer said he was reading the motion and would respond later.

The companies sued in April claiming they’re being slandered by protests against 4 million tons of coal ash waste shipped from Tennessee.

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