It’s been 9 years since a lawsuit over alleged poultry pollution of the Illinois River in eastern Oklahoma went to court. It’s been 8 years since the case wrapped up before Tulsa U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell and as the Tulsa World noted, there still has not been a ruling. Some wonder if it’s a case of justice delayed.
At least 60 witnesses were called to testify in the trial. Former Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission Administrator Ed Fite was one of them and told the newspaper he doubts a decision by Judge Frizzell will ever come. Others agree and talked with the paper about the lingering case.
The co-founder of the nonprofit Save the Illinois River is Ed Brocksmith who is critical of the delay in a decision.
“It’s like a giant void in our family of scenic rivers advocates, like a member of the family is missing and we aren’t going to be happy again until that missing person is returned.”
The suit was originally filed by then-attorney general Drew Edmondson who accused several poultry companies of polluting the river with poultry waste. Now a candidate for governor, Edmondson also agrees a decision should have been made by now.
“There are federal rules on the judiciary regarding the timing of how long they have to decide matters,” he told the newspaper. “He’s clearly beyond the rules but I don’t know of any enforcement mechanism for their own rules.”