By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS Staff
Pastor Eddie Walton of New Beginnings Covenant Ministries and Pastor Cody Gilliam of Belle Mina Methodist Church stand together as Belle Mina residents and faith leaders continue their fight against a quarry near the historic community — even as they face a $1.6 million lawsuit filed in Indiana.
BELLE MINA, Ala. — The long-running battle over a controversial quarry in Limestone County has taken an unusual turn, with a lawsuit filed not in Alabama, but in Indiana.
Elephants R Us LLC, the corporation formed by the quarry’s property owners, has sued Belle Mina Methodist Church, New Beginnings Covenant Ministries, Pastor Cody Gilliam, and Mitchell-Frazier Farms Partnership Limited in Hamilton Superior Court, Indiana. The company is seeking $1.6 million in damages plus legal costs, alleging the defendants interfered with a lease agreement between Elephants R Us and Stoned LLC, another family-owned company.
At the heart of the dispute is the quarry under construction off Mooresville Road, less than a mile from historic Belle Mina. The defendants have been vocal opponents, speaking out in the press, on social media, and in state permitting hearings about potential air and water pollution. Elephants R Us claims those actions improperly delayed permits issued by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), which represents the churches and citizens, called the lawsuit an attempt to silence community voices. “We should all be concerned when people in positions of power use fear and intimidation to silence folks who don’t agree with them—especially when those dissenting voices belong to faith communities,” said Pastor Gilliam.
Pastor Eddie Walton of New Beginnings added, “We promised to take a stand against attempts by big businesses to bully and bulldoze our community.”
SELC attorney Sarah Stokes said the case is frivolous and should be dismissed, stressing that residents are exercising their First Amendment rights.
Meanwhile, in Limestone County Circuit Court, the churches are pursuing their own case against the quarry operators, and Elephants R Us has already failed in a bid to be dismissed.
