LINCOLN COUNTY, Tenn. (WHNT) — On Tuesday, attorneys for the couple who filed a lawsuit against Lincoln County in the Jack Daniels barrel house case faced a judge to determine the outcome of the lawsuit. 

According to the attorney Jason Holleman, findings during the hearing were presented that Brown-Forman corporation and Jack Daniels are operating several warehouses for storage without valid building permits. 

“There were a lot of exhibits that were taken in and there was a lot of testimony so we expect that he will consider that evidence and issue a ruling sometime in the next few days,” said Holleman.  

Patrick Long and his wife Christi filed this lawsuit after they say the Lincoln County Commission and the mayor have ignored complaints for years that the storage houses are creating an uncontrollable black fungus that has destroyed plants and trees at homes in their community.

Patrick Long claims that county officials allowed Brown-Forman to build additional barrel houses without a valid environmental study or legal building permit.

According to Holleman, out of the eight warehouses located and operating out of Lincoln and Moore Counties, only one of the warehouses had a valid permit, which Holleman says ironically was issued within hours of the hearing.  

“We’ve received documents that we have not seen that purported to demonstrate site plan approval and building permit approval. As we dug into those documents, they were superficial,” Holleman explained. “They did not cover or none of the site plan covered all of the buildings and the building permit only covered one building.” 

The judge is expected to rule on the lawsuit in the coming days ahead.

Lincoln County mayor Bill Newman refused a request for comment.