A jury of peers?

On Tuesday, a world away from the federal courtroom in Raleigh, a great crowd gathered on the farm of Joey Carter in Duplin County. It was young and old, it was farmers and city folks, and even some media came and looked in for a bit before heading away to file their...

The Reptile vs. The Pig

A lot of people want to know how in the world a Texas lawyer convinced a North Carolina jury that a responsible, well-run hog farm is a legal nuisance, punishable with a (soon-to-be-reduced) $25 million verdict. The answer may have nothing to do with pigs – and...

In nuisance case, profit on trial

There was a telling exchange in the federal hog farm trial in Raleigh. It had to do with money – which is what this trial is all about. First, a bit of background. On one side of the courtroom are Joey Carter, a Duplin County hog farmer, and Murphy Brown LLC, which is...