Cooper vetoes bill limiting North Carolina farm nuisance damages
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed legislation limiting certain monetary damages that neighbors of hog and poultry farm operations can collect if a court determines the stench from animal waste is officially a nuisance.
Cooper on Friday vetoed the measure, which he says gives special protection to one industry and opens the door to weakening civil actions in other nuisance matters.
RELATED: NC lawmakers OK limiting nuisance lawsuits against hog farms
The bill now returns to lawmakers for a possible override. The House and Senate approved the measure last week by veto-proof margins.
The measure would restrict compensatory damages in these civil cases up to the lost property value or rental value of affected properties. The bill was prompted by pending federal lawsuits against a large North Carolina hog producer, but these limits would not apply to these cases.
