THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 13, 1995 TAG: 9505130262
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
A Johnston County woman testified that she must take five medications daily to prevent asthma attacks caused by odors from a neighboring hog farm.
Connie Suarez, her husband, Juan, and son, Carlos, live on a 40-acre tract in southern Johnston County about 2,000 feet from a hog farm owned by brothers Dennis and Earl Lee.
Connie and Juan Suarez and nine other residents have filed a lawsuit against the Lee brothers, saying the hog farm is a nuisance.
The residents are seeking more than $10,000 each in damages and relief from the odors.
The case is the first of several civil lawsuits against large hog farms in eastern North Carolina to go to trial.
Kenneth Wooten, the lawyer for the Lee brothers, has said evidence will show that his clients are operating their farm within environmental regulations. Wooten said the odors have not created a ``substantial nuisance'' for neighbors.
Connie Suarez testified Thursday in Johnston County Superior Court.
KEYWORDS: HOG FARM LAWSUIT by CNB