Missouri Jury Awards $1.95 Million in Hog Lawsuit

A southwest Missouri jury has awarded a total of $1.95 million to 12 plaintiffs who claimed a factory hog farm had ruined their way of life.

The Barton County jury announced its verdict Saturday afternoon following a two-week trial. Iowa-based Synergy, which owned the hogs, and Kenoma, the local company that raised them, are liable for damages.

The Joplin Globe reports jurors last week toured the hog farm and viewed the proximity of plaintiffs’ homes to the operation.

Local residents voted in April 2007 to approve a new zoning rule to regulate factory farms. A judge threw out the vote because of a legal challenge by the hog companies.

Kansas City attorney Charlie Speer had asked the jury to award $1 million in damages to each plaintiff, plus punitive damages.