Hawkins County Gains Legal Ally: Law Center Provides Free Support in Data Center Lawsuit

In Hawkins County, Tennessee, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has stepped forward with an offer to support the local government through free legal representation in an ongoing legal battle with a cryptocurrency firm.

County Mayor Mark DeWitte announced that the SELC has agreed to provide its services at no cost, following ExoticRidge Crypto Company LLC’s legal action against the county. The company is challenging a comprehensive prohibition on data centers within the county’s jurisdiction.

The SELC’s Nashville branch has expressed its readiness to advocate for the county without charge, with the proposal set to be reviewed by the Hawkins County Commission during their upcoming meeting next month.

The SELC’s Nashville office has offered to represent the county free of charge, and the Hawkins County Commission will consider the offer at its meeting next month.

“The attorney for the county’s insurance company, in conjunction with our county attorney, have begun working on an answer to the summons,” DeWitte said in a statement provided to News Channel 11. “We are taking appropriate action to file an answer. Thanks to the diligent work of Attorney Crystal Jessee, who represents the county in our opioid abatement settlements, along with Commissioner Robbie Palmer of the 7^th District, we now have an offer from the well-respected Southern Environmental Law Center, particularly their Nashville office, to represent the county pro bono in this case. We are planning our next steps to defend ourselves, which is what most county citizens, especially those in the Bulls Gap area, have been asking for. I’m pleased we can move forward likely without having expenses that otherwise local taxpayers would be asked to cover.”  

The ban ExoticRidge refers to in its lawsuit is an ordinance passed by the commission in September 2025 that effectively prohibits data centers from operating in Hawkins County. Commissioners passed the ordinance 10-2 after community members expressed concerns over ExoticRidge’s plans to build a data center in Bulls Gap.