A judge ordered the Cooper County Health Board to pay $94,000 in attorneys fees for the plaintiffs in a recent lawsuit over farm regulations and Missouri's Sunshine Law.
The lawsuit filed in 2018 included dozens of farmers as plaintiffs, claiming the board tried to enact regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) without having the authority to do so.
The lawsuit also claimed the board failed to give sufficient notice for public meetings about the regulations and illegally closed those meetings to the public.
In August, a jury found in favor of the plaintiffs on all counts. On Oct. 28, the judge ordered that the Cooper County Health Board pay the attorneys fees for the plaintiffs, amounting to $94,000, in addition to any court costs the board had been previously ordered to pay.