Judge dismisses lawsuit against churches, pastor over rock quarry in Belle Mina

LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF) - There’s an update on the legal fight over a rock quarry in the Belle Mina community.

On Friday, a judge dismissed a lawsuit against two area churches and a pastor who fought to keep the project from moving forward.

The lawsuit was filed by the land owners the quarry sits on, claiming members of that community have cost them over $1 million in revenue due to several delays in the project, but a judge saw things differently.

The legal team representing the two churches and pastors is celebrating a judge tossing out this lawsuit, calling the entire ordeal “frivolous.”

They said the whole point of the lawsuit was to intimidate them and force them to spend money on legal fees.

Several members of the Belle Mina community have been up in arms for years now, claiming this quarry threatens this historic town’s way of life by subjecting its citizens to air pollution and deteriorating roads while impacting the area’s groundwater and Limestone Creek.

The pastors of New Beginnings Covenant Ministries and Belle Mina Methodist Church, which are near the quarry, have been very vocal about that and have actively worked to keep it from opening.

The land owners where this quarry now sits sued the churches for $1.6 million in damages for allegedly interfering with a lease contract and interfering with business.

Pastor Eddie Walton released this statement following that lawsuit dismissal:

In a separate lawsuit from the churches, a preliminary injunction hearing to stop operations at the quarry is expected to take place on January 7.

WAFF 48 will update on this case as more information becomes available.

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