Stines v. PrimeBlock Operations, LLC (Data Center Noise Nuisance Remand Fight)
Residents Judith Stines and William Huffman filed a proposed class action against PrimeBlock Operations, LLC and affiliates Exponential Digital LLC and Innotech Z Inc., alleging unabated noise from a cryptocurrency-mining and AI data center near Murphy, North Carolina has substantially interfered with the use and enjoyment of roughly 1,000 nearby properties since the facility began operating in September 2021. After the case was removed to federal court, the plaintiffs moved on September 2, 2026 to remand it to state court, arguing their damages fall short of the amount-in-controversy threshold required for federal jurisdiction.
Why it matters
Data centers and crypto-mining facilities are being sited at a pace that increasingly collides with existing rural and residential land uses, and this case shows neighboring property owners turning to common-law nuisance theories rather than waiting on local noise ordinances alone. The forum fight also illustrates how a class action's damages framing can be calibrated specifically to keep — or remove — a case from federal court before the merits are ever reached.
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