A couple of logging brothers have reached an agreement in a federal lawsuit against Carroll County and a county supervisor.
The settlement was reached late last week through mediation between Carroll County and Rickey and Jessie Hill.
The Hill brothers own and operate Hill Logging.
Court documents do not reflect the terms of the settlement. The case in U.S. District Court was dismissed by Judge W. Allen Pepper Jr.
The Hill brothers had contended that a variety of their federal civil rights were violated when Carroll County Supervisor Lloyd Ashmore of District 2 allegedly told Rickey Hill the brothers wouldn't receive a permit to haul timber in his supervisors' district.
The brothers said they couldn't haul timber since June 2, 2005, which interfered with their right to move freely about the county and to earn a living.
They claimed in the complaint that Ashmore wanted vengeance because a nephew of Rickey Hill's had spoken to the supervisor in "a discourteous way" nearly two years prior.
The confrontation between Rickey Hill and Ashmore occurred Nov. 9, 2004, in Carroll County Justice Court, according to the lawsuit.
Hill was fined for hauling without a permit.
Ashmore has denied the allegations made by the Hills in their lawsuit.
In March, the county asked federal Magistrate Judge Eugene Bogen to stay the case, pending an attempt at mediation.
Neither side would comment on the settlement.
