LINCOLN COUNTY, Tenn. (WHNT) – After a couple filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln County government seeking relief from the whiskey fungus that is destroying their home and business, others in that community joined the lawsuit.  

J.B. Cox, the chancellor for Tennessee’s 17th District Chancery Court ruled in February that Jack Daniels and parent company Brown-Forman Corp. has not followed the required processes to build and expand a barrelhouse operation on the site and ordered a work stoppage effective immediately. 

Cox ruled that Brown-Forman had illegally constructed six barrel houses located just yards from a business owned by Patrick and Christy long, in that area since 2018. The lawsuit alleged that Lincoln County “failed to take appropriate action to halt the illegal construction.” 

Residents who have lived on the Lincoln and Moore County border for decades want to stop whiskey production altogether. 

Pam Butler, who has lived in her home for 20 years, says that she does not use social media or watch television as much therefore, she did not know of the lawsuit until a neighbor informed her of the judge’s ruling.  

Her home is located closest to all of the warehouses. The home, cars, horse stable and all of the trees have been destroyed by the alcohol-fed black fungus or the liquor that evaporates that’s fueled by the whiskey’s aging process. 

Butler told News 19 that she did not hesitate to join the lawsuit. 

“Once they realized that the quality of life of the people that live in this area was adversely affected, then they should have started thinking about the concentration of so many barrel houses had something to do with this,” said Butler.  

Jason Holleman, the attorney for the lawsuit, said he hopes the Lincoln County judge will take action against the existing barrel houses and the 14 planned ones. 

“The court’s earlier ruling found that all of the barrel houses to be in violation but limited its relief to the building that was currently under construction,” Holleman explained. “What we hope to do with this lawsuit is expand that ruling to encompass relief as to all barrel houses.” 

Several other residents have joined this lawsuit. They are hopeful that judge Cox will halt the barrel house production until Jack Daniels agrees to a filtration system to stop further damage.