Domtar Responds to Lawsuit Over Odors from Kingsport Plant

Domtar Paper Co. has filed a response to a federal lawsuit over alleged “noxious odor emissions” from the company’s Kingsport recycled packaging mill.

The civil lawsuit names two Kingsport residents as class representatives in a proposed class action.

In the response filed on May 18, Domtar’s attorneys denied that the company releases noxious odors that invade the plaintiff’s property.

The company also said the plaintiffs’ claims about regulatory violations are inaccurate.

In the response, Domtar denies that members of the public “have suffered damages or injury due to noxious odors emitted from the facility.”

The company argued that the plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed because “the alleged damages are too speculative, remote and wholly out of proportion to the negligence or nuisance alleged.”

Domtar’s attorneys also said the plaintiffs’ claims are barred because of the company’s “compliance with applicable statutes, law and regulations, industry standards, and/or the lawful direction of public officials.”

Domtar continues to work on a new wastewater system designed to eliminate odors that the company has admitted to causing.