Mount Pleasant residents file class-action lawsuit over Microsoft data center noise
Residents in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, have filed a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft over excessive noise pollution from its data center. The lawsuit alleges that the constant low hum from the facility, operational since April, disturbs approximately 1,000 residents within a mile and a half radius. Microsoft has acknowledged the lawsuit and stated its commitment to being a good neighbor.
Residents in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, have filed a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft, alleging excessive noise from the company's nearby data center. The lawsuit, initiated earlier this month by three local residents, claims that a constant low hum from the facility, which went online in April, has been "very disturbing" and "outrageous" for those living nearby. Shannon Hein, a resident who moved to the area for its peace and quiet, supports the lawsuit and is preparing to join it, stating that the quality of life she sought has been "taken away."
The plaintiffs allege that approximately 1,000 residents within a mile and a half of the 315-acre data center are affected to the point of being unable to enjoy their homes. However, not all residents agree, with Scott Duff, living less than a mile away, saying the noise does not bother him despite being annoyed by earlier construction.
Ben Hanson, a FOX6 News reporter, spoke with a Microsoft spokesperson who acknowledged the lawsuit and stated the company's commitment to being "a good neighbor." The spokesperson also mentioned that the data center, built on land previously zoned for the Foxconn project, has no plans to slow down and could require three times its current energy in the coming years. Residents like Hein, who has lived in the neighborhood for five years, expressed surprise at the unexpected level of noise from the facility.