South Georgia District Attorney Files Motion to Intervene in Lawsuit Involving Monkey Farm

• Previously, SHM filed a lawsuit against the industrial development authority to maintain a pilot contract and project agreement for a large-scale primate facility.
• Now the district attorney is asking to argue several points in the case, ranging from the state’s involvement in validating the revenue bonds to allegations that Georgia’s Open Meetings Law was violated.
• Watch the story to see how this action could influence SHM’s pending primate deal.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

A South Georgia district attorney is taking new action in an attempt to block a controversial project from calling Bainbridge home.

WTXL highlights actions being taken in one of many court cases involving primate company Safer Human Medicine.

“(He) will finally have the opportunity to tell his truth about what happened to him. And how he was used in the court process at the beginning to get bail approved,” said Lisa DaSilva Stand Bainbridge Georgia.

On Dec. 31, South Georgia District Attorney Joe Mulholland requested to intervene in a case brought by primate company Safer Human Medicine against the Decatur-Bainbridge County Industrial Development Authority.

An SHM spokesperson issued a statement:

“The Georgia Court of Appeals decision was very clear about Georgia law and the economic development process. SHM will continue to defend its rights in state and federal courts to ensure this project moves forward. Together with the Development Authority, we look forward to advancing this project in a transparent manner.”

While some neighbors have been following this case from the beginning, others are just beginning to investigate the leaders behind the project.

“It just threw up a lot of red flags for me as a concerned citizen, Bainbridge resident Suzi Bonifay.

Safer Human Medicine aims to bring a primate facility to the area where primates will be raised and then sent to other facilities for research.

The project would bring hundreds of jobs to the area with the opportunity to advance the company.

Despite the positive economic impact the facility will have on the community, many people in the area are protesting the company.

“(I was) in a state of turmoil hoping to get off to a good start this year to continue the fight to stop the monkey farm,” according to DaSilva.

If Mulholland’s request is added to the court case, court documents reveal that he plans to argue the following points;

One of them is to challenge the validation of the bond and claim that the Georgia Open Meetings Law was violated.

Another point of discussion will be that the state is part of the bond validation that is essential to the project.

Finally, the DA alleges that the Industrial Development Authority and SHM filed a “collusion lawsuit,” meaning the deal was not made honestly. Stating that the Authority and SHM have cited “planned to obtain a favorable order from the court.”

WTXL asked how actions like this are impacting a community that is already divided.

“I hope that common sense prevails and that people continue to try to work and live together,” according to Bonifay.

Any opponent involved in this particular case has 21 days from December 31 to respond to the prosecutor’s request.