ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Concerned citizens and neighbors spoke up at a public hearing about the rezoning of a business, and now they’re being sued.
Some residents live in Ashland City to be around nature. So several years ago, they were upset when Walker Trucking and Excavating moved in next door to an area zoned residential. Since then, neighbors have been voicing their concerns about rezoning the property at public meetings.
“Because I spoke out, now I’m being served with a lawsuit," resident Zada Law said.
City officials and a long list of concerned citizens who spoke out at the meetings are named in the suit.
“I feel it’s a sacred duty, and it’s part of the First Amendment at least as far as I understand it,” Law said.
And on Friday, a processor served her with a summons to Cheatham County Chancery Court.
"To be harassed and threatened with a lawsuit because I did that — is to intimidate."
After the zoning denial, the state served Walker with a cease and desist. Land Owner Jason Walker feels he's being held hostage and can't develop the land. In a March interview, his attorney Bryan Lewis warned residents to back off.
“A lot of the neighbors are putting themself in potential harm by making these allegations, and I mean legal harm, a slander, or some type of suit like that for making these false allegations," Lewis said.
It appears that Lewis followed through on that.
“I think it could potentially intimidate some of my other neighbors about speaking out against this issue in the future, and I think that’s the point,” Law said.
Attorneys claim Walker cannot access his property due to the ‘neighbor’s obsessive behavior in reporting Walker.’
The suit also states they have "no intent" to operate a quarry on the land and want to develop it for residential. However, a sign posted on the edge of Highway 12 still says "mining" and "Walker Quarry."
Next, they're figuring out how to respond to the summons.
“It serves to quash," Law said.
