A preliminary hearing was held before Judge George Day in the case of Dynamic Collision vs. the City of Gadsden and the Gadsden Airport Authority. It focused on 16 subpoenas filed by the plaintiff — who is challenging the proposed plant on GAA property on Steele Station Road, contending it would violate current zoning regulations — against various city, airport and industrial development officials, Pilgrim's Pride itself and representatives of an engineering firm.
The subpoenas requested that the parties provide documents regarding communications between them and Pilgrim’s Pride to the court, and be present during a hearing scheduled for next Monday.
Pilgrim's Pride argued this would require them to also present documents involving the company's “trade secrets” and pertaining to technological designs and other equipment, setting up the potential for competitors to steal their ideas.