Judgment declared in case against Cooper County Public Health Board

BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

A judge on Oct. 28 ordered for $94,000 --for fees and litigation costs -- to be taxed against the Cooper County Public Board of Health.

A jury earlier this year said Cooper County's health board violated the Missouri Sunshine Act when debating possible farming rules.

The jury heard arguments from a group of farmers opposed to rules the county's heath board were crafting in 2018 over concentrated animal feeding operations. That group accused the health board of not properly detailing what the closed meetings were about, why they were closed and discussing issues in those meetings not previously announced.

The jury found the board had "knowingly" violated five different provisions of the open meetings law, also known as the Sunshine Law. Brent Haden, an attorney for the farmers, said the group wanted to operate their farms without the county's "overreach.

The board was fined $1,000 on each count.