Marathon Staffer Cleared of Bitcoin Mining Noise Citations

Marathon’s site manager at its Granbury, Texas facility has been found not liable for the alleged noise violation that recently brought the bitcoin mining giant into the spotlight.

According to a local news report on Wednesday, Marathon’s site manager David Fischer was acquitted of 12 noise violation charges after a two-day trial this week.

The charges were brought by Hood County after Constable John Shirley issued multiple citations against Fischer, based on readings indicating that the noise level outside Marathon’s mining facility exceeded the 85-decibel limit.

While Constable Shirley also issued noise citations to Marathon, this week’s trial focused solely on the case against Fischer. Fischer’s defense attorneys from Gill & Brissette, who also represent Marathon, reportedly challenged the accuracy of Shirley’s sound readings and argued that his enforcement actions were politically motivated to boost his reelection campaign.

DLNews had previously reported complaints from Granbury residents, who claimed they were experiencing health issues due to the noise from the mining site that Marathon acquired from Generate Capital late last year. The site was previously managed by USBTC before its merger with Hut 8. Earlier this week, TIME published a feature story that followed up on the reported health issues of local residents.

According to Hood County News, Hood County Attorney Matt Mills stated that the jurors reached a unanimous verdict that Fischer is not “personally responsible,” although the jurors who gave him feedback reportedly agreed that the low-hum frequency sound from the site is an “unreasonable noise.”

“I’m disappointed for the victims. We may proceed later against the company itself,” Mills was quoted as saying.