Supreme Court

Huynh v. Blanchard

• Case number: 21-0676
• Legal category: Jurisdiction
• Subtype: Injunctions
• Set for oral argument: October 3, 2023

Case Summary

The issue in this case is whether a jury finding that the operation of chicken farms was a temporary nuisance precluded the trial court from issuing a permanent injunction.

Sanderson Farms along with local growers, the Huynhs, set up and operated chicken farms in East Texas. The farms were in close proximity to neighboring properties—in violation of law and Sanderson’s own internal policies. Blanchard and other neighbors claimed that the size and proximity of the chicken farms to their homes created a nuisance.

The jury found that Sanderson and the growers had intentionally caused a nuisance. The jury also determined the nuisance was temporary. The trial court rendered a take-nothing judgment on damages for the neighbors and issued a permanent injunction against Sanderson and the growers. The injunction prevented Sanderson and the growers from buying, selling, delivering, receiving, shipping, transporting, hatching, raising, growing, feeding, handling, burying, or disposing of any chicken of any breed, type, size or age within five miles of where the farms were operated. The court of appeals affirmed the trial court’s judgment.

The Supreme Court granted Sanderson and the growers’ petition for review.

Case summaries are created by the Court's staff attorneys and law clerks and do not constitute the Court’s official descriptions or statements. Readers are encouraged to review the Court’s official opinions for specifics regarding each case. Links to the full case documents are included above.