| 114th Year, 18th Issue | Thursday, December 12, 2002 | Sparta, North Carolina |
Judge Michael E. Helms ordered a lawsuit filed by Alleghany County and several other local entities against Bristol Compressors to enter into mediation.
Besides Alleghany County, plaintiffs in the suit include the Town of Sparta, Skyline Telephone Membership Corporation, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation and Region D Development Corporation. Named as defendants in the suit are York International Corporation, Bristol Compressors Inc. and Bristol Compressors Sparta Inc.
The plaintiffs in the suit are seeking to recoup incentive payments made to the company. Representation is being furnished by the Sanford Holshouser Law Firm of Raleigh, with Earnest "Earnie" Pearson serving as the main counsel in the case. Pearson helped draft the incentive agreement that helped Bristol locate here in 1993.
Bristol is being represented by William K. Davis.
The lawsuit seeks repayment of about $7.385 million to the plaintiffs in the case, plus any attorney fees. Of any funds won in the suit, the county would get 55.76 percent, Blue Ridge Electric would get 18.3 percent, Sparta would get 12.16 percent, Region D would get 7.3 percent and Skyline would get 6.48 percent. In other words, each entity was to be reimbursed in the percentage at which they gave funds to the recruitment effort. The county paid $3,874,025 to help recruit Bristol, while BREMCO gave $1.27 million, Sparta gave $845,105, Region D gave $507,337 (counting $200,000 in local pledges) and Skyline gave $450,000.
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