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IPFS News Link • Lawsuits

Court Rules Against SC Honeybee Farm In Aerial Insecticide Case

• https://uncoverdc.com, By John B. Nevin

Appeals Counsel Pacific Legal summarizes Flowertown's version of events leading to Yawn v. Dorchester County:

"Beekeeping has been a part of Juanita Stanley's family for generations… Together with her husband, Mitch Yawn, she opened Flowertown Bee Farm and Supplies on 14 acres of land they own in Dorchester County, South Carolina… 46 hives with several million healthy honeybees.

Then one day in late August, the County sprayed a highly toxic pesticide over their property in an effort to kill mosquitoes. Even though there were no cases of mosquito-borne Zika virus in the County at the time, the County feared media reports of a potential for mosquito-borne spread of the Zika virus… County did not call Flowertown to warn them of the aerial spray—the first time the County sprayed by air rather than by truck. The next morning, Juanita Stanley discovered that the government's one aerial spray destroyed millions of bees, Flowertown's business, and the couple's livelihood."

Local Charleston Post & Courier newspaper reported that the suit came after Mr. Mitch Yawn and Ms. Juanita Stanley declined to submit a claim to the South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund. Attorneys Mike Rose and Andrew Gowder are reported to have advised against since the claimed initial mention of $20,000 settlement would not fully compensate Flowertown for damages.