JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thousands of Murray Hill neighbors are waiting to see if their fight against a Jacksonville chemical plant will move forward as one big case.
Around 70 of those households hired a lawyer to attempt a class action suit.
Neighbors said they’ve been dealing with unpleasant odors for years, and on Monday, a judge heard arguments to decide whether the residents can join forces in a class action against the International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) plant, which they believe is responsible for the smell.
If turned into a class action suit, it could represent more than 6,000 residents who say the smell from the Westside facility is ruining their quality of life.
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Neighbors first sued the IFF plant in 2021, but that case was thrown out because the judge said it didn’t belong in federal court—not because of the claims themselves.
So, they started over in January 2022, filing in Duval County Circuit Court. The lawsuit claims strong and potentially harmful odors from the Lane Avenue plant invade their homes, sometimes waking them up at night.
“You smell it early in the morning, you smell it on the weekends when you can’t contact the city to inform them that there is an issue. It permeates our homes while we’re sleeping. It reduces our quality of life. You don’t want to go outside,” Michael Hammond said in May.
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Neighbors said they’ve spent years working with city and state regulators to solve the odor problem, but claim IFF hasn’t fixed it and instead points the blame elsewhere.
“The only way to convince the court is for the court to show up… to our neighborhood. The time when the odor is strongest. Early in the morning: 4 o’clock, 5 o’clock in the morning," said one resident who asked not to share his name.
IFF hasn’t commented on Monday’s hearing, but in the past, the company said it complies with environmental rules and investigates complaints.
News4JAX did attempt to speak with their attorney outside the courthouse on Monday, but the lawyer said the hearing ran long and she needed to get to another appointment.
The hearing was pushed to next week for a follow-up where the judge could decide whether the residents meet the requirements for a class action suit.