Opponents of huge Alabama landfill fight company's $30m defamation suit

When residents of Uniontown protested at the dumping of 4m tons of toxic coal ash in the poor, 91% black town, Green Group Holdings sued them for slander

Residents in tiny Uniontown, Alabama, are locked in a legal battle against a company that has dumped millions of tons of coal ash there and then filed suit for defamation against those protesting against the act.

The residents formed a group, Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice, to fight the placement of a landfill filled with the coal ash in their town that they say threatens their health and constitutes a racial injustice. Uniontown is 91% black, and is among the poorest communities in the nation: half the residents live below the poverty line.