Sour Grapes at Post Winery
An Arkansas wine family is suing CenturyLink of Monroe, La., for planting a fiber-optic cable through a section of the family’s land just east of Altus where they cultivate grapes.
Eugene Post Sr., and his wife, Peggy Jane, said CenturyLink employees didn’t ask for permission to bury the cable in December on their land at the Mount Bethel Winery, according to their lawsuit, which was filed in Franklin County Circuit Court but has been transferred to U.S. District Court. Centurylink removed grass and soil from the Posts’ property, making “a whole area of land incapable of cultivating grapes,” the lawsuit said.
In February or March, the Posts asked CenturyLink employees to remove the cable, but their request was denied, and the family claims it hasn’t been able to use the land for six months. They said the damages are at least $80,000.
CenturyLink denied the Posts’ allegations in its court filings.