EUGENE BAKER; LESTER BAKER; PATRICIA BAKER; RAYMOND BAKER; RAYMOND G. BAKER; VADA BAKER; ALBERTA BUSH; CLAY FUGATE; GREGORY CHASE HAYS; ANITA HENSON; ELLEN HENSON; LISA HOLBROOK; BILLY JOE MULLINS; GEORGE MULLINS; SHERRY MULLINS; JOHNNY E. MULLINS; BARBARA NEACE; JERVIS NEACE; LURANIE NOBLE; MATILDA RANEY; JOHN ROBERTSON; MELVIN RUPERT; AARON WAYNE WHITE; AARON PAUL WHITE; BRITTANY WHITE; DAVID WAYNE WHITE; Y. DEBORAH WHITE; DELBERT WHITE; HAROLD RAY WHITE; RICHARD WHITE; GRETA WHITE; MOLLIE WHITE; RACHEL WHITE; SHELVIN WHITE; VAUGHN WHITE; VICE WHITE; WADE WHITE; JASON SCOTT WHITE; JAY D. WHITE; JERSON WHITE; LISA WHITE; LORETTA WHITE; CARL W. ASHER; FARMER EDWARD BAKER, administrator of the estate of Vanessa Baker; JENNIFER BAKER; MICHAEL J. BAKER; ALICIA BAKER; BENJAMIN CRAFT; BRUCE L. DRYDEN; MONICA FUGATE; REBECCA GIBSON; ANGELA KAY HENSON; MASON HENSON, JR.; VICKIE HENSON; MASON LEE HENSON; SHIRLEY HENSON; TIMOTHY DEAN HENSON; ARISSA HENSON; WILLIE RAY HENSON; - Articles

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EUGENE BAKER; LESTER BAKER; PATRICIA BAKER; RAYMOND BAKER; RAYMOND G. BAKER; VADA BAKER; ALBERTA BUSH; CLAY FUGATE; GREGORY CHASE HAYS; ANITA HENSON; ELLEN HENSON; LISA HOLBROOK; BILLY JOE MULLINS; GEORGE MULLINS; SHERRY MULLINS; JOHNNY E. MULLINS; BARBARA NEACE; JERVIS NEACE; LURANIE NOBLE; MATILDA RANEY; JOHN ROBERTSON; MELVIN RUPERT; AARON WAYNE WHITE; AARON PAUL WHITE; BRITTANY WHITE; DAVID WAYNE WHITE; Y. DEBORAH WHITE; DELBERT WHITE; HAROLD RAY WHITE; RICHARD WHITE; GRETA WHITE; MOLLIE WHITE; RACHEL WHITE; SHELVIN WHITE; VAUGHN WHITE; VICE WHITE; WADE WHITE; JASON SCOTT WHITE; JAY D. WHITE; JERSON WHITE; LISA WHITE; LORETTA WHITE; CARL W. ASHER; FARMER EDWARD BAKER, administrator of the estate of Vanessa Baker; JENNIFER BAKER; MICHAEL J. BAKER; ALICIA BAKER; BENJAMIN CRAFT; BRUCE L. DRYDEN; MONICA FUGATE; REBECCA GIBSON; ANGELA KAY HENSON; MASON HENSON, JR.; VICKIE HENSON; MASON LEE HENSON; SHIRLEY HENSON; TIMOTHY DEAN HENSON; ARISSA HENSON; WILLIE RAY HENSON;

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jun 23, 2025

Head Comment: Case name continued: BARBARA HENSON; ELIZABETH MILLER; LOU MILLER; FREDDIE WAYNE MULLINS; GERALDINE MULLINS; JOSHUA MULLINS; MADRO M. NOBLE; CASSANDRA SCOTLAND; BRIAN STRONG; BROWN STRONG; JAMES STRONG; WILLIAM THORPE; DARLENE THORPE; ASHFORD WHITE; BIRCHEL WHITE; DEWEY WHITE, deceased; ELIJAH WHITE; ETTA WHITE; FAYE WHITE; JEFFERY GRAN WHITE; RONALD DARRIS WHITE; TONYA BAKER; LAVERNE NOBLE; JANICE MULLINS; RUTH STRONG; TIFFANY WHITE; MISTY STRONG; CHRISTINE WHITE; GEORGE FRANCIS, III; TONYA ASHER; DILLO NEACE; BRENDA STRONG; DAN HENSON; SHANNON VAUGHN WHITE, administrator of the estate of Amy LaDawn Henson

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Ned B. Pillersdorf, PILLERSDORF LAW OFFICES, Prestonsburg, Kentucky, for Appellants.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Grahmn N. Morgan, DINSMORE & SHOHL LLP, Lexington, Kentucky, for Appellee.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Ned B. Pillersdorf, PILLERSDORF LAW OFFICES, Prestonsburg, Kentucky, for Appellants.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Grahmn N. Morgan, Kristeena L. Johnson, James M. McClure, DINSMORE & SHOHL LLP, Lexington, Kentucky, Ashley L. Pack, DINSMORE & SHOHL LLP, Charleston, West Virginia, for Appellee.

Judge(s): SUTTON, Chief Judge; BUSH and MURPHY, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky at Lexington

JOHN K. BUSH, Circuit Judge. In late July 2022, an unprecedented flood destroyed numerous homes and other properties in Eastern Kentucky. Many of those who suffered brought this suit against Pine Branch Mining, LLC. They allege that Pine Branch violated Kentucky mining regulations in how it maintained a surface mine property, located relatively near Plaintiffs’ lands. According to Plaintiffs, Pine Branch committed negligence per se. To succeed at trial, Plaintiffs must prove that Pine Branch committed infractions that substantially contributed to the flooding. But the district court excluded the opinion rendered by Plaintiffs’ sole causation expert. In so ruling, the district court did not abuse its discretion, as we explain below. Without competent expert proof, Plaintiffs lacked enough evidence to create a jury question on causation. So, we agree with the district court that Plaintiffs cannot establish a prima facie case of negligence per se. We therefore AFFIRM the district court’s grant of summary judgment to Pine Branch.

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