A court ruling has resulted in a significant loss for developer John “Thunder” Thornton, who sued Marion County residents Joey Blevins and Ronnie Kennedy over their criticism of his River Gorge Ranch Development.
Blevins and Kennedy expressed concerns about the development above abandoned coal mines, which Thornton claimed were false. The judge dismissed Thornton’s claim and ordered him to pay over $200,000 in legal costs.
Blevins’s attorney, Daniel Horwitz, called it a victory for free speech, emphasizing the need for transparency from the development.