Effingham County residents sue OpenAI, county officials over Project Camellia data center

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Three Effingham County residents have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, county commissioners and other officials. The suit alleges a concerted effort to keep Project Camellia, the land transaction and its terms secret from the public until the land was committed. The complaint was filed Nov. 6 in Effingham County State Court. The plaintiffs are Dr. Michelle Finch-Mincey, Lehman Mincey Jr. and Raymond Carver. The complaint says each is a resident, property owner and taxpayer in Effingham County. It says Carver lives in a neighborhood next to the proposed development. According to the complaint, Project Camellia is a proposed data center campus of four buildings totaling about 4.4 million square feet.