Black Fire Mining’s Gill Steven Brown and Nicholas Stodin filed a complaint August 16 in the Kentucky Eastern District Court in Pikeville, Pike County, against Garth Myers, Jason Bedasse and Tallakoy LP.

According to the Floyd County Times, the plaintiffs alleged the defendants’ actions caused harm to the company’s reputation and cost Black Fire Mining money.

Specifically, the company said claims were made against it in Wordpress blog posts, including referring to Stodin as a “paper creator, liar, thief and unscrupulous criminal”

Posts about Black Fire reportedly stated the “mines you are approached on may go under, Heller Mine, Hellcat, GEF, all scams and part of bilking investors out of their hard-earned money”

The company’s officials made written demands to have the posts removed but, the paper said, the information was still being published, and Black Fire said the defendants had also made personal statements to existing and potential investors.

The latter, the operator said, had an impact on its business dealings.

According to court records, the lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages for “humiliation, emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment, loss of goodwill, loss of business opportunities and loss of profits, damage to reputation and character, past, present and future”

The plaintiffs also seek punitive damages, attorney fees and interest.

The suit is listed as an assault, libel and slander case under 7:2013cv00089.

The presiding judge is Amul Thapur.