Thornton ordered to pay legal fees of two residents after losing libel lawsuit

MARION COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF)- A prominent developer has taken a significant loss in a court ruling.

John “Thunder” Thornton attempted to sue two Marion County residents, Joey Blevins and Ronnie Kennedy, over their criticism of his River Gorge Ranch Development.

Blevins and Kennedy had stated they were concerned that the mountaintop development was being built above abandoned coal mines.

Thornton had argued that these were false statements.

However, a judge found no basis for this claim, and ordered Thornton to cover the legal costs for Blevins and Kennedy totaling over 200 thousand dollars.

Blevins’s attorney, Daniel Horwitz, says that this is a victory for citizens’ free speech.

“The message is very simple. First, litigation is not a substitute for addressing valid criticism about a proposed development. But more than that, the legal system is no longer available to deep pocketed plaintiffs as a tool to intimidate critics or others for the right to free speech,” said Horwitz.

Horwitz says that his client just wants to see more transparency from the development moving forward.