‘Protect the Land Owner:’ Virginia Farmer Continues Fight Against Environmental Group
Instead of filing the same version of the conservation easement that was signed by its president and a Virginia farmer, the Piedmont Environmental Council pulled a “bait and switch” that dramatically altered the document’s terms and conditions.
That’s one of several revelations that have come to light in the past few days as Martha Boneta, the owner of Liberty Farm in Fauquier County, Va., prepares to initiate a new round of litigation against Piedmont Environmental Council, a non-profit land trust.
Boneta refiled a lawsuit Wednesday in Fauquier County Circuit Court that says the environmental group colluded with realtors and government officials to issue zoning citations against her property. This was done to force Boneta into selling her farm, she alleges in the suit.
Boneta also is considering filing a second lawsuit at the federal level against Piedmont Environmental Council.
That suit would be based on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, commonly known as RICO.
The environmental group’s inspectors and officers have overstepped their authority under the easement to the point where they have trespassed across Liberty Farm and interfered with her farming activities, Boneta alleges.
Moreover, an analysis of the discrepancies that exist between the documents underpinning the easements …read more